Keyblades of Future Past
by lyokoMARVELanime
Summary: Xehanort's forces of darkness rule all of existence, and only a few worlds are left in the light with but a handful of warriors fighting to defend them, but something about all this is not quite right. When Yen Sid discovers that history is not as it should be, he finds the only solution is to set things right by sending the light's greatest champions back in time to do so
1. The Mission Begins

_**AN: Hey, what's up everybody?! For those of you who don't know, or haven't already figured it out, I am lyokoMARVELanime, the myth, the legend, and the mastermind behind the stories such as the Gundam SEED Prime Series, Code: Avengers, and more, and now, I present to you my first ever Kingdom Hearts story! Now before anyone goes accusing me of being unoriginal with the title, I just want to say, cut me some slack, there are only so many good titles to use with this kind of story, and if you think you know the Kingdom Hearts story, well then you should leave what you know in the video games or in a story that follows that same continuity, because you will find many differences between that and this story's continuity. Okay, maybe not many differences, but enough for this to be very different from what you know.**_

 _ **To be honest, I wasn't really sure I was going to roll with this idea for a while for a two reasons, aside from the fact that I've got a few other active projects at the moment that I still haven't finished but fully intend to. One of those reasons, obviously, being that I've never written a Kingdom Hearts story before, and I'm a little nervous about how well I do with portraying the characters and how the story goes, but after reading a few other stories on here, I've got a bit more confidence in this story. The other reason is because the idea of this story just came to me at random when the trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past suddenly popped into my head one day while I was playing Birth by Sleep, so I was a little unsure of how well it would turn out as a full on story, but after fleshing the idea out a bit, I like to think that it's at a point where I think it will be a pretty decent adventure.**_

 _ **And now that I've likely bored you all to death with this long winded author's note, and no, I don't mean literally Hades!**_

 _ **Hades: Damn it!**_

 _ **AN: Let's get on with the show!**_

 _ **I do not own anything from Kingdom Hearts or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

When looking back through history, many only see the darkest moments in existence, and when one is swept up in a war to defend what little light is left in existence, it becomes even more difficult to see anything but that darkness. This especially holds true for a small group of warriors who were currently fighting against the creatures that appeared to be living shadows known as the Heartless, as they did their best to retreat from the world they were currently on before they too were swept up into the vast, dark portal that was now dominating the sky and swallowing the world whole. This group of four warriors had hoped to be able to secure this particular world's keyhole before it was too late, as it was one of the few worlds left that had not been swallowed up in darkness, much to the surprise of many, but unfortunately, they were already too late, and Olympus Coliseum was falling into darkness along with those who inhabited it, assuming that they had not already found a way to escape to the world of Traverse Town.

Now, the four warriors of the light were moving as fast as they could back to the Gummi Ship that they had traveled to the world in before they too were swallowed up by the darkness, and neither the Heartless, nor the silver colored monsters known as Dusks were making that any easier for the group being led by a young boy with spiky, brown hair in a black jacket and pants, a red shirt, a silver crown necklace, and black shoes with yellow laces, who carried what appeared to be a large, silver key with a gold handle, which was the legendary weapon known as the Keyblade. "Keep moving! We're almost there," the young boy called back.

"Sora, we're not going to make it," one of his comrades called up to him. The boy in particular bared a striking resemblance to Sora, aside from his blonde, less spiky hair, and was decked out in grey pants, a black t-shirt, a white jacket, a black and white checkered bracelet on one arm, a pair of rings on one hand that were black and white, and grey shoes, and he carried a pair of weapons similar to Sora's, except for the fact that one was silver with a star where the teeth were and had a star shaped keychain attached to the handle and the other was black with a black keychain that seemed to be a black version of the crown necklace that Sora wore.

The bright red haired boy in tan pants, red shoes, a sleeveless white shirt, sleeveless orange vest, and yellow and black stripped scarf that was next to the blonde only scoffed, "You really doubting your other, Roxas? That's not like you."

"Shut it, Lea," Roxas snapped at his red haired best friend.

"Lea, Roxas, both of you shut it! We're almost there, so stop gossiping and keep running," the dark red haired girl in front of them and just a short ways behind Sora snapped at them both. The girl in question was dress in a pink and white dress with a black hood, purplish-pink sneakers and a pair of bracelets on one of her arms, and carried a key shaped weapon of her own that was gold and seemed to be decorated with a flowery design.

"Great. Now you've got Kairi mad at us with your doubting," Lea moaned. "You know that your girlfriend's gonna know about it when we get back and give us both a hard time right?"

"You and the traitor have bigger problems at the moment, warrior of the light," a female voice that sounded a bit like Kairi's suddenly cut in. The group then skidded to a sudden halt and saw a girl in a long black coat that bore a striking resemblance to Kairi except for the shorter, black hair, holding what appeared to be a copy of Roxas's black Keyblade in her hand standing in their way.

Sora and Kairi were quick to assume a fighting stance while Roxas just looked ahead sadly before he called out, "Get out of our way Xion! I don't want to fight you."

"Too bad, traitor," Xion spat. "It's part of my mission to eliminate you, and if I get to destroy your original and the rest of the last remaining guardians of the light, then all the better for both me and the master."

"Sorry you feel that way then," Lea suddenly muttered as he summoned a red and silver Keyblade in a burst of flames before charging forward with a powerful swing, unleashing a massive inferno around him as he did that had caused the other three to jump out of the way before they were burned by the flames. Sora and Roxas were quick to turn around and re-summon their Keyblades, but they immediately stopped when Lea suddenly shouted, "No, don't worry about me! Just go on and get out of here while I hold them off!"

"Lea, don't be stupid," Sora shouted. "You know what will happen if they take you down!"

"Yeah man," Roxas immediately shouted in agreement. "We can't risk letting one of Organization XIII's members get stronger if you get taken out!"

"Better that than all of us getting taken out, and having both Axel and this little bitch here getting stronger," Lea argued. "Look, we don't have time to argue on this you guys. You're the ones who stand the best chance of saving the worlds and restoring the light. I'm just a guy who was playing a supporting role, so if I've got to give up my life so that you can get away, then I'm fine with that, because I know that I'll just keep living on in the memories of people I've met. It's up to you guys now! Got it memorized?!"

Roxas was about to protest again, when Sora placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head before saying, "It's already too late to change his mind, and you know it, Roxas. We've gotta go."

The three then turned away from their red haired, fire loving friend and made a mad dash for the yellow and red ship that was already starting up its engines. Lea looked up at the ship as it began to take off, and then smirked before he pushed Xion off of him with his Keyblade. "They won't get far, you know," Xion snarled. "You've only delayed their destruction."

"Actually, I've done exactly what I said I would do," Lea quipped as he started to glow with a crimson, flaming aura. "You're not going to be going after them because you'll be too busy getting BURNED! GOT IT MEMORIZED?!"

The minute Lea had said that, Xion realized what the pyromaniac was planning and just barely managed to cast a Reflega spell in time to block the kamikaze inferno that her opponent had just unleashed. When the shield dropped, Xion looked around at what little remained of the home of Hercules and his other friends to see that nearly all the Dusks and Heartless were vaporized by the fires, leaving her and the forces she had brought with her in no condition to pursue the escaping keybearers. As she looked over the incinerated battlefield once more, Xion could do nothing more than let out a cry of rage at what the infuriating other of Axel had done, which had quelled the minute said individual appeared next to her via a dark portal. "So my other decided to give up his own life to the darkness all so our old buddy Roxas and his new friends could get away huh," Axel asked as he walked up to the girl.

"Not the time, Axel," Xion snarled, angrily.

"Relax, Xion," Axel reassured the girl. "It's not like this is some kind of major setback, or anything. I mean, with this, there's barely any worlds left in the light, and now, old Yen Sid's forces are down to even more pathetic numbers than before. I'd count this as a victory, especially seeing as what this does for me."

"Tell that to Saix, the superior, and the master," Xion muttered bitterly.

"Are you seriously worried about that right now," Axel chuckled a bit. "Look, don't worry about Saix. I can deal with him, and besides, at least you were able to succeed in the original, primary goal of your mission, so there's no way that the superior and the master can complain."

Xion thought over Axel's words for a minute before she finally sighed and conceded, "I guess you're right, Axel."

"Well of course I am," Axel replied smugly. "You've really gotta learn how to think 'glass-half-full' instead of 'half-empty'. Got it memorized?"

Xion just shook her head with a slightly relaxed smile before she and Axel walked back through the corridor of darkness that Axel had come through a minute ago to return to their base, relishing at the sight of the last of Olympus Coliseum falling into darkness as they did.

* * *

In the world that was known only as the Mysterious Tower, retired Keyblade master and master sorcerer, Yen Sid, was sitting stoically at his desk in deep thought as he focused on the warriors of light that he had sent to Olympus Coliseum when a soft gasp brought him out of his concentration for a moment. "What is wrong, Naminé," Yen Sid asked the blonde haired girl in a white, lace dress that reached her mid-thighs, and blue sandals who was standing by one of the windows with a sketch pad in one of her hands.

"Olympus Coliseum's star," Naminé answered quietly. "It's gone out."

Yen Sid immediately stood up from his seat and gazed out at the few stars that remained in the eternal night skies of his homeworld to see that the blonde artist was correct. After focusing his powers for a minute, he let out a rare sigh of relief before informing Naminé, "Do not worry. Roxas and the others are alright, and they are on their way back here now." Naminé smiled in relief herself before she saw that Yen Sid had suddenly adopted a small expression of sorrow just as the master sorcerer said, "But…I cannot sense young Lea with them."

Naminé gasped in shock at this, knowing what it likely meant for Lea before she turned away to let a few tears fall at the loss of her friend. "Do not try to hide your tears Naminé," Yen Sid told her. "It is not wrong to shed tears of sorrow when one hears of the loss of a life, nor is it something to be ashamed of." Naminé smiled in thanks to the wizened sorcerer before said sorcerer glanced out the window once again and then suddenly found his eyes widening in shock at what he saw. "What in the worlds…"

Naminé raised an eyebrow in confusion before she too glanced out the window and gasped in shock at what the master sorcerer saw. The sky suddenly seemed to be lit up with millions of stars at once, as opposed to its usual near handful of stars, before suddenly seeming to shift back to the handful of stars once again. "Master Yen Sid, what did we just see," Naminé asked.

Yen Sid did not answer right away but instead simply moved to one of the bookshelves in the room and took one of the many tomes off the shelf and leafing through it for a moment. When he finally seemed to find what he was looking for, Yen Sid looked to Naminé again and said, "Naminé, summon Mickey hitherto at once. Inform Sora and the others to quicken their pace to here as well."

"Of course, but why," the blonde girl asked.

Yen Sid glanced out the window for a moment before giving his young magic protégé a strong, confident look that promised astonishing news. The look did not disappoint, as Yen Sid's answer to Naminé's question was simply, "So that they may learn of what is likely our last, best hope of ending Xehanort's terrible darkness at long last."

Naminé could not believe her ears, but she knew that if Yen Sid was telling her this then it was not very likely to be something to be taken lightly, and she immediately raced into the next room to do as her master had asked her to, leaving the retired Keyblade master alone with his thoughts for a moment. After Naminé had left, Yen Sid glanced at the magic tome in his hands before wondering aloud, "Could it truly be that everything that has happened…was not meant to have?"

* * *

Sora and his two friends were all terribly saddened after seeing their friend, Lea give his life so that they could escape to fight the darkness another day, but when they had received Naminé's message from Yen Sid, they immediately shook it off and accelerated the Gummi Ship towards the Mysterious Tower at its maximum speeds. Upon arriving at the small island that the strangely shaped tower stood on in a multi-colored sea, they immediately recognized two familiar, animalistic faces standing at the door waiting for them. "Donald! Goofy," Sora exclaimed happily upon seeing the two.

"Sora," the royal magician and captain of the guard of Disney Castle exclaimed as they jumped Sora in a massive group hug that knocked the spiky haired boy off his feet, eliciting a laugh from Roxas and a small giggle from Kairi. After the three had finally gotten up after their happy reunion, Donald had to ask, in his usual squawking tone, "What took you so long? We thought you'd be here hours ago!"

"Uh, but Donald, we've only been out here for half an hour," Goofy suddenly cut in.

"Shut it, ya big palooka," Donald quacked at his long time best friend. "It doesn't change the fact that they took forever to get here!"

"Sorry guys," Kairi said. "We had a little trouble getting the Gummi Ship going for a while."

"Let me guess, you guys forgot the most important rule about flying on a Gummi Ship, again. No frowning, no sad faces," Donald reminded them.

"Well to be fair, it's a little hard to have a happy face when you've just lost a good friend," Roxas muttered, but Goofy and Donald still heard him, and that was when they finally noticed who was missing.

"Ya mean…Lea…" Goofy asked sadly, showing that he was about to start crying.

"Not fair," Donald moaned just as sadly. "Why is it always such a good guy?"

"Gosh fellas, no need to get so depressed. After all, there's still a chance to save both Lea and everyone else that's been lost in this terrible war," a high pitched voice suddenly cut in, and everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to the small, anthropomorphic mouse in a red and white outfit, white gloves, and yellow shoes that were a lot like Sora's standing in front of the doors.

"Your majesty," Kairi exclaimed. "I mean, Mickey, what're you doing here and…what do you mean by that?"

"It's a little hard to explain right now," Mickey Mouse, the king of Disney Castle replied. "But it would be better if Master Yen Sid told you all. Come on in, and hurry. We might not have much time."

Sora and the others looked between themselves for a minute before nodding to Mickey, and let the mouse king lead them into the strangely shaped, magical tower, and up to Yen Sid's study. The minute they entered, both Kairi and Roxas's faces lit up with joy upon seeing the young woman in a white dress who's long, blonde hair draped over one shoulder and immediately called out, "Naminé!"

Naminé immediately beamed at the sight of the two and immediately gave her other a tight hug and her boyfriend a quick kiss in reply before saying, "It's so good to see both!"

"Hey, what about me? Don't I get a hug," Sora asked.

"Nope," Naminé replied with a slightly cheeky smile. "Although that's mostly because I'm not sure if I should hug you or kiss you since you are technically Roxas's original."

"I'd go with the former of those options if I were you, sister," Kairi warned Naminé. The red haired girl did not care if the blonde was her Nobody. If she made any kind of romantic move on her Sora, Kairi would make sure the young artist was well acquainted with her Keyblade. _Wait,_ my _Sora? Where did that come from?_

Naminé just giggled in response to Kairi's warning and Sora's flustered expression, which was soon accompanied by Kairi's face gaining a small blush, and decided to alleviate the twos worries by giving Sora a quick hug just as Yen Sid entered the room. "Welcome young wielders of the Keyblade," the sorcerer greeted. "I am pleased that you all made it here as quickly as you did, but I'm afraid that we do not have much time for pleasantries, nor for mourning our most recent loss."

"Exactly what's going on Master Yen Sid," Sora asked, his face gaining a serious expression that still made the others think was very strange and out of place on the wielder of the Kingdom Key in comparison to his usual happy, goofy smile to this day.

Yen Sid strode over to his desk and sat down in the large chair as the group gathered around it. "Tell me, my young friends, have you ever wondered if this existence is not what it should be," Yen Sid asked. The unsure glances in response to this question seemed to be all the confirmation that Yen Sid needed before he continued, "Such feelings may not be misplaced, for most recently, Naminé and I had witnessed the truly startling sight of the stars in the sky suddenly changing to a great number before returning to the few that we have seen nearly day after day for so many years. A moment later, I suddenly found myself having a glimpse into the past, to a moment that may have been the defining point to the history that we all know so well, but I also sensed that something was wrong with this moment as well."

"What're you saying, Master," Kairi asked, truly confused, but feeling as though that she understood what the elderly man was getting at.

"I believe that something in history is not as it should have been," Yen Sid explained. "And as such, I believe that the solution before us is quite simple. If we are to truly emerge victorious in this war, we must do as our enemy has appeared to have done."

"Whaddya mean," Mickey exclaimed in surprise.

Before Yen Sid could say anything, Naminé suddenly exclaimed, "Master, it's happening again! Look outside!"

Everyone immediately drove their attention to the window and saw the few stars suddenly expand into the infinite numbers that they should have been before changing back to the mere handful that made up the sky again, and then continued to do so as Sora, Kairi, and Roxas all suddenly felt a great pain erupt in their chests and heads. As the three fell to their knees, they were soon greeted by strange visions of three Keyblade warriors, two men and a woman, fighting against Xehanort and a mysterious masked boy alongside Mickey. What came as an even greater shock was that one of the three Keyblade warriors bore a very striking resemblance to Roxas that would have made them think that the two were actually twin brothers. Eventually, the visions ceased and they looked up to see Mickey, Naminé, and all the others looking down at them in concern.

"Gawrsh, what happened fellers," Goofy asked the three worriedly.

"I…I saw Mickey…fighting Xehanort," Sora explained slowly as Donald and Goofy helped him up while Naminé did the same for Kairi and Mickey for Roxas. "And someone in a mask…but he was fighting with three other people as well…with their own Keyblades."

"And strange armor…two men and a young woman," Kairi suddenly added on, almost as if she knew what Sora was going to say next.

"And one of which who looked a lot like me," Roxas suddenly finished. "There's no way that can be a coincidence."

"You are correct, Roxas," Yen Sid informed the three. "It seems that you had a similar vision to the one that I myself had before your arrival. This can only mean that we must act quickly if we are to set things right."

"But, who were they," Sora asked.

"They were Keyblade Masters Aqua, Terra, and Ventus," Mickey replied calmly, but no one missed the small amount of sadness in his tone. "They were students under the late Master Eraqus, and three good friends of mine. They were also the first ones to fight against Master Xehanort when he finally revealed his true colors, but sadly their efforts were in vain."

"What…what happened to them," Kairi asked, fearing the answer.

"Terra allowed Xehanort to trick him into succumbing to darkness before Xehanort took control of his body, and Ventus fell at the hands of Xehanort's apprentice, Vanitas, the masked boy that you all saw, leaving Ventus's heart in a shattered state, and his body fell into an eternal slumber until his heart can heal and then return to his body," Mickey explained sadly. "It was not until after Roxas came into being that we learned what had happened to Ven's heart."

"What do you mean," Roxas asked. "What does my creation have to do with this Ventus guy?"

"Sora," Yen Sid suddenly said after a moment. "You carry Ventus's heart within you, and you have done so since a very young age. That is but one reason why you are able to wield the Keyblade, and when you became a Heartless for a moment, Ventus's heart caused Roxas, your Nobody, to gain his appearance."

"So in a way, Roxas is actually two people's Nobody," Sora asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Whoa," Roxas breathed. While he always knew he was different from most Nobodies, he never even suspected that this would be another reason as to why. To say that it was shocking to the former Key of Destiny was a bit of an understatement.

Despite this shocking news, Kairi had to ask something that had yet to have been explained to them. "What about Master Aqua," Kairi asked. "What happened to her?"

Mickey and Yen Sid both lowered their heads in sadness before Mickey replied, "The last time we saw Aqua, she had taken Ven's body away so that she could hide it away in a place where he would be safe, and before she left, she told us that she intended to confront Xehanort one more time to see if she could bring Terra back. We never saw her again after that."

"I don't get it. What could've possibly happened that would've caused history to change," Sora asked.

"Sometime before their confrontation with Vanitas and Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard, there were a series of…events that drove the three of them apart," Mickey explained. "They were all very close friends once, you could even say that they were like family, and I was proud to have a chance to have known them at that time, but something happened after they had met up to defeat a powerful Unversed in Radiant Garden that drove them all apart and destroyed the bond that they had once thought was an unbreakable connection. Those same events also had a devastating effect on me as well."

"And that may be the point where we must begin to set things right," Yen Sid interrupted. At Mickey's look of confusion, Yen Sid explained, "The first time that change happened, I had looked into the book that I keep which holds an accurate record of all events that had transpired in the lives of all those who wielded the Keyblade, and I discovered that the stories of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus seemed to change from what we know them to be into something else, almost as though the events we know had taken place should not have happened."

"So what are we supposed to do," Roxas asked. "It's not like we can change the past."

"That is actually where you are wrong, young Roxas, for that is exactly what we intend to do," Yen Sid corrected. "It is a dangerous task to undertake, traveling through time, but it is what we must do if we are to save the worlds from Xehanort's wrath, and it may very likely be made easier with Naminé's help."

When everyone looked at the Nobody of Kairi in confusion, Naminé immediately explained, "Master Yen Sid believes that if we were to use my powers over Sora's memories and those close to him, we will be able to successfully send someone back to the past with full knowledge of what needs to be done with the only side-effects taking place being those that would happen whether or not they succeed. By doing so, we'll also be able to effectively communicate with them and inform them on whether or not they're making some kind of progress."

"Well what're we waiting for," Goofy asked as he summoned his shield. "Let's get going."

"Hold on there, fellas," Mickey suddenly exclaimed. "Not all of us will be able to go."

"Why not," Donald asked.

"In order for this to work, Sora must be the one to go back, along with one other person who is close to him. Roxas cannot do so because his connection to Ventus will prevent him from being able to travel back as it is much stronger than Sora's, and Mickey cannot either since he played an active role in the events that had unfolded in that time," Yen Sid explained.

"It's also because I was able to use a Keyblade at the time," Mickey then added. "You see, this kind of thing doesn't work, if a Keyblade wielder is going back to a time when he was able to wield the Keyblade."

"So, does that mean that since me and Donald played a part in what happened back then, we can't go either," Goofy asked.

"Yes Goofy, that's right," Mickey replied sadly, getting a groan of sadness from both of his two best friends.

At that point, Donald suddenly perked up and exclaimed, "But then, that means that the only person who can go with Sora is…"

Everyone's eyes immediately fell upon the red haired Princess of Heart in the same moment of realization that the duck sorcerer had just had. "Me," Kairi exclaimed. "But I can't…"

"Kairi, you're the only other one who can," Mickey informed the young girl. "And keep in mind out of all the Keybearers we have, you and Sora are our best, so this shouldn't be any problem for ya."

Kairi lowered her head in thought for a minute until she suddenly felt someone's hand holding her own in calm reassurance, and she turned to see Sora's smiling at her as he seemed to silently tell her that he believed she could do this. After returning Sora's smile and giving his hand a light squeeze in thanks, Kairi turned to the others and nodded in acceptance before Sora asked, "So what do we have to do?"

Yen Sid gave a small smile to the two strongest remaining Keybearers before he gestured for them to follow him into the next room, where a pair of beds had been laid out. "You will both need to lie down here and relax yourselves as Naminé and I perform the spell. As we are doing so though, Xehanort's forces will likely use the opportunity to attack this world in an attempt to stop us and eliminate us once and for all."

Sora was about to argue against the plan when he heard that until Mickey said, "Don't worry Sora, I've already contacted all your friends from other worlds that had made it to Traverse Town, and they'll be here soon enough to give us a hand in keeping this world safe until you've both done what you need to do."

Sora nodded in acceptance of this and then sat down on one of the beds as Kairi began to lay back on the other. "So, we wake up somewhere in the past and then what do we do?"

"Find Terra, Aqua, Ven, and me," Mickey replied. "Convince each of us of all this. It'll take all four us to stop whatever had happened to change the past, and we'll need to be side by side at a moment when those three couldn't be further apart."

Sora and Kairi both nodded and then let themselves relax on the two beds as Naminé and Yen Sid moved to stand between the two. Just before the two sorcerers were about to begin the spell that would said the worlds' greatest champions of light into the past, Mickey came up to them and told them, "There's one more thing you should both know. I was a very different person back then from who I am now. You're both going to have to do for me what I once did for you not too long ago. You'll need to lead me, guide me, be patient with me, but most importantly of all, you'll need to restore my faith in hope for a better tomorrow."

Sora and Kairi both nodded in reply to the mouse king, knowing that he was referring to what happened to them after they lost their best friend, Riku to the darkness and how Mickey had been able to convince them to keep fighting the good fight and never lose hope that they could save their friend from Xehanort's forces' control. With the reminder of that this would likely help save Riku, the two gained new resolve and nodded to both of the two sorcerers that they were ready, and said sorcerers began their work. Sora and Kairi heard the two utter a few strange words of incantation before they found their whole worlds suddenly start to spin and then suddenly vanish before them, and they found they could only scream in shock as they were sent on their way into the past, on a mission to save the future.

* * *

At the same time that Sora and Kairi were being sent back into the past, the forces of Xehanort had sensed the energies of Yen Sid and Naminé's spell all the way in the Castle That Never Was, the main base of Xehanort's forces of darkness. "So it seems that they have learned of our plot," Xehanort commented to his gathered forces.

"Indeed it does, Master Xehanort," the dark skinned, long silver haired figure of Ansem of the Heartless replied. "Should we not deal with this pest at once?"

"Why bother," Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII asked. "Their attempts to change what has already occurred will all be in vain and shall only serve to accelerate their fall into darkness."

"Maybe, but in case you haven't noticed, there's a chance that they won't be taking any chances," a figure in a dark body suit that bore a striking resemblance to Sora suddenly interrupted in a voice that sounded like a deep, malicious version of the wielder of the Kingdom Key's.

"What do you mean, Vanitas," Xehanort asked.

"If they're really that desperate to beat us like the idiots we all know them to be, then they'll have sent their best to deal with the problem," Vanitas explained with a malicious grin. "And that means, they likely have sent little Sora and his dear Kairi back to deal with it."

"Yes, they will be severely weakened by their absence," Xehanort smirked eagerly. "And that would give us a perfect opportunity to strike at the few warriors of light that remain, allowing us to drown all the remaining worlds in darkness for all eternity." He then held his hand out as he summoned forth his massive forces, which consisted of Heartless, Unversed, Nobodies, the other twelve members of Organization XIII, and a silver haired young man with aqua-green eyes in a body suit much like Vanitas's except for the colors. "Go forth, forces of darkness, and eliminate the final guardians of the light so that we may end this long war at last."

The minute he gave his commands, most of his forces departed through Corridors of Darkness except for Vanitas, the silver haired boy, and one of the members of Organization XIII. "Is there something else you require, Vanitas? Or perhaps one of the two of you, Riku and Xion?"

Riku and Xion said nothing in reply, but Vanitas did as he asked, "Are you really sure it's wise to just leave things in the past to chance, Master? After all, if they succeed I'll likely end up disappearing, and you know I wouldn't like that."

"You have nothing to fear, Vanitas," Xehanort reassured his apprentice. "As Xemnas had stated, it is a hopeless endeavor that is doomed to failure."

"If you're so sure then why not let us go back just to be sure," Xion suddenly asked as she gestured to herself and Riku.

"One reason would be because the magic that was used to do so is of a kind that only one with power such as Yen Sid and that little witch, Naminé possess together," Xehanort explained. "Even if I wanted to send you back, I could not, for even I have my limits. Do you truly doubt my judgment, child?"

Xion was about to protest until Riku raised his arm up to silence her and simply said, "No Master. We're just concerned about how their success, however unlikely, will affect us, same as Vanitas."

Xehanort nodded in reply to this, and then dismissed the three, smirking to himself as soon as they had left as he said, "Soon, the answers that I have been seeking for so long will be mine, and darkness shall covet the worlds forever, all under my command and power, and there will be nothing that any of the forces of light can do to stop me."

Xehanort's dark laughter seemed to echo all throughout the World That Never Was, and any who may have heard him would have felt a chill up their spine as they began to grow worried for the fates of Sora and Kairi.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 1:**

 **As the war between light and darkness continues to rage on, I have discovered that the fallen master Xehanort has made a terrible discovery. It seems that somehow, he had discovered that he could create powerful Nobodies if a person had held darkness in their heart long enough for them to have nearly become a Heartless, assuming they had not already become one. As a result of this discovery, a vast majority of Organization XIII was born. Though they seem to be of the variety of Nobody that are more powerful than the mere Dusks, their power is still not as great as it should be since their originals had never fallen into darkness completely, but it seems that problem is easily corrected.**

 **Upon further study on these artificially created Nobodies, and after losing poor Ienzo, it was discovered that these Nobodies are able to become as powerful as they should be. The prime example of this was when young Sora and his friends encountered Zexion, the Nobody of Ienzo, after the loss of the young apprentice of Ansem the Wise. Zexion proved to be far more powerful at that point than he had ever been before, and were it not for a timely intervention by my former apprentice, Mickey, and young Kairi, I fear that we would have lost poor Sora as well, which would have led the mysterious Number XIII of the Organization to have become more powerful, since I believe that said member is the Nobody of Sora himself, but the question of whether or not Sora's Nobody is like Zexion and many others still remains unanswered, given the fact that Sora himself had once become a Heartless for a short moment.**

 **With all my wisdom and knowledge, I find myself helpless at not knowing the answers to all these questions, but I suppose that for now, we shall simply have to wait and see what happens.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Okay so yeah, already you're seeing that things are not what they should be, and now our heroes have gone back to the past to set things right, but now you're probably asking, what happened to cause this to begin with, and how are Nobodies around when their originals are around? Well if you are asking that second question, then clearly you weren't reading the Yen Sid report. That's the whole point of my including them. See for all you Kingdom Hearts fans, you all know how in many of the Kingdom Hearts games you collect things like the Ansem reports or the Xehanort reports throughout the journey and they serve as a kind of insight to certain things that had taken place before or during that particular game. Well I'm pretty much doing the same thing here, except they are reports by Yen Sid. Hey even a master sorcerer like him needs to write stuff down like that every now and then. You can't keep all your knowledge up in your head all the time after all. Anyways, the point of the Yen Sid reports is to give you a better understanding of the background details in this story. Of course, I will cover some of these things in the main story from time to time, but the Yen Sid reports will give a more detailed explanation behind it so that there is no confusion involved._**

 ** _Next up, yeah, Xion is still around while Roxas can use two keyblades, and my reasoning behind that is because in this story, Roxas obtained his second keyblade after realizing who he was and meeting both Sora and Naminé, which I will go into further detail of, later on down the line in this story. If you're wondering just which worlds are left in this dark future though, you'll just have to wait and see, as that will be explained in a future chapter. So with all that said, onto the preview!..._**

 ** _Sora and Kairi arrive in the past and discover that they had landed in the ruins of the world that was once known as the Land of Departure, which they soon learn from Naminé would one day become Castle Oblivion. Shortly after arriving, they encounter one of the three keyblade masters that had preceded them, but will this master be willing to help them, or even hear them out? And just where are the other two masters if they aren't here? The answers to these questions and more next time._**

 ** _Please read and review, and in the words of Mickey Mouse, see ya real soon!_**


	2. Convincing Aqua

_**AN: Okay so glad to see so many people have read this story in just a couple of days, but come on guys, I don't say read and review just for the fun of it. Seriously, reviews help a guy improve on stuff that he can do better on, and you guys are killing me here. Again, not literally Hades, so back away from me, make like your overgrown, three headed mutt, and sit!**_

 _ **Hades: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?! Don't you know who I am?! I am Hades, Lord of the dead, ruler of**_

 _ **AN: The Underworld, blah, blah, blah, and the guy who got his butt kicked by a dude who rides on a flying horse and who's only weapons at the time were his bear hands.**_

 _ **Hades: [erupts into orange and red flames] Hey! Leave that out this! I'd like to see you take on a demi-god and come out on top!**_

 _ **AN: Hades, back away now! I will push this button!**_

 ** _Hades: [Cools down to usual flames] Oh, you think I don't know how that works, kid? Come on, seriously, I know you only do that whole little, hit the button, crazy gag bit when someone's about to give away a spoiler, but, hey little newsflash, I haven't done that. So whatcha gonna do about it?_**

 ** _AN: Okay, you asked for it. [hits button anyway]_**

 ** _?: Oh, Haaaaaadeeeeeees._**

 ** _Hades: Oh you've gotta be kidding me._**

 ** _[Hercules drops down and slams a fist into Hades that sends him flying out of the room]_**

 ** _AN: Thanks Herc._**

 ** _Hercules: No problem, but shouldn't Sora or one of the other guys that are specifically from Kingdom Hearts be here right now?_**

 ** _AN: Well hey, I tried getting 'em here, but they were all busy with other stuff. Other fanfiction stories, preparing for the big day when Kingdom Hearts III finally comes out, fighting Heartless, you know._**

 ** _Hercules: Ah, I gotcha. A hero's work is never done and all that._**

 ** _AN: Plus, I may or may not have heard a certain, brown spiky haired keyblade wielder rehearsing how he's going to ask his red haired princess out on a date in the mirror earlier. [grins mischievously]_**

 ** _Hercules: Oooh, you._**

 ** _AN: Anyway, with all that little bit of fun out of the way, let's get on with the story. For those of you wondering how much of the original cannon is in this story, you're about to find out a little bit of that for yourselves._**

 ** _I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story._**

* * *

 **Chapter II**

As Sora and Kairi fell through to the past, it felt as though they were caught in a massive vortex that spun them around and around at incredible speeds, and the force of this was so great that it honestly surprised them both that they had not gotten sick. Eventually, the two began to wonder how long it had been since they had started going through this great vortex through time or even if they were close to the end of it, until they suddenly saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Upon seeing this, Sora immediately maneuvered himself over to Kairi and reached out his hand to her, which the red haired girl immediately grasped as soon as it was close enough to her while Sora shouted for her to hold on tight.

A minute later, they found themselves falling from the sky, and upon seeing how fast they were approaching the ground, Sora immediately pulled Kairi into him, and spun around so that he would take the worst of it when they hit the ground. When they finally hit the ground bellow them, they ended up landing rather roughly and then slid along the grassy terrain before finally coming to a stop. As soon as they did stop, Kairi tried to lift herself up, but found that she could not for some reason, and when she finally realized what the reason was, her face began to burn up from the blush that had reached it as she told the boy beneath her, "Um Sora, we're not falling anymore, so can you let me up now?"

Sora winced a bit from the pain he had to endure upon hitting the ground before he finally opened his eyes and realized the position he and Kairi were currently in after hearing what the red haired Princess of Heart had said. Upon gaining this realization, Sora's face gained a blush that matched Kairi's before he quickly released her and then scooted back while the girl stood up and tried to look away in slight embarrassment. After taking a moment to compose himself, Sora chanced a glance over at Kairi for a minute so that he could apologize for his earlier actions until he noticed something different about her. "Hey Kairi, when did you change your outfit," Sora asked.

Kairi just raised an eyebrow in confusion for a minute until she saw her reflection in a nearby pond and gasped at what she saw. Her outfit was still the same for the most part, except that it now also included a pair of grey, fingerless gloves on her hands, and silver colored sleeves that covered her arms with a strange piece of shoulder armor on her left shoulder that was colored pink with white highlights. In addition to this, Kairi also noticed that she was now wearing a pair of silver shorts under her pink dress, white leggings that went up to her mid-thighs, finishing up with a pair of steel boots that were the same colors as her usual sneakers. If she were being honest with herself, Kairi honestly thought that she looked pretty impressive, and that she looked a bit more like a Keyblade warrior now. She then looked over to Sora with a smile, which quickly turned to mild shock as she pointed out, "I think you should be asking yourself that same question."

Sora then glanced down at his appearance and saw that, like Kairi, his usual outfit had remained the same for the most part, as he still had his usual red shirt, black short-sleeved jacket and baggy pants with many pockets, fingerless black gloves, and large black and yellow shoes, but in addition to this, he had gained a small set of shoulder armor on his left shoulder like Kairi's, except his armor was slightly bigger and had a set of three points on the upper edges while being colored black with red highlights, and his left arm also had a bit of armor on it that was colored in the same way as the shoulder armor. Sora crossed his arms in thought for a minute as he thought aloud, "Well, whenever we traveled to other worlds before, Donald would use his magic to change our appearance and bodies so that we would be able to fit in and be able to handle the environment right, so maybe that's kind of what happened here."

Kairi nodded in agreement with Sora after he said that, seeing as that was the only thing that made sense at the moment, and then began to look at their surroundings for a minute as she asked, "So then where are we, anyway? Or when are we?"

Sora joined Kairi in observing their surroundings, and he could not help but feel saddened by what he saw. From what he could tell, they were standing in the ruins of what was likely once a large, beautiful world with grassy terrain, and many large, white structures, but what really stood out about their surroundings, was the large, white castle with gold colored roofs that was clearly tore apart by some strange force, as parts seemed to be missing and some of the brown chains that seemed almost like they were keeping it from lifting off the ground and flying away were hanging down loosely. For some reason he could only assume was because of having Ventus's heart inside of him, as Sora looked around he felt a sadness overcome him that normally only comes from seeing a place one had once called home now completely in ruins, and upon realizing this, Sora shook himself out of it before saying, "Well, I think we're in the right time, which can only mean that it worked, because this place seems familiar to me, in more ways than one for some reason."

"Do you think that it's because you have Ventus's heart inside of you and that this is a world that he once came to," Kairi asked after hearing that.

"Well…yeah, that's part of it, but there's something else too," Sora admitted. "I can't explain why or how, but for some reason, I feel like I've been here before myself, but that it was not like this when I came."

 _"_ _You're right Sora. You have been here,"_ a female voice suddenly called out to the two, startling them both for a minute until they recognized the voice.

"Naminé," Sora called out. "Where are you?"

 _"_ _Calm down, Sora,"_ Naminé replied. _"I'm not actually there with you two. I'm still back in the present in Master Yen Sid's tower, but somehow, my powers are allowing me to communicate with you both."_

"Can we also talk to the king and Yen Sid," Kairi asked.

 _"_ _Sorry, but no. For some reason, my powers only allow me to talk with you both, and just you two,"_ the blonde sorceress in training explained. _"I can relay messages from them to you and vice-versa, but I can't get them to speak with you directly."_

"Don't worry about it," Sora reassured his Nobody's girlfriend. "I'm just glad we can still talk to you guys in the present at all, but what did you mean when you said that I've been here before?"

 _"_ _Because Sora, this is where you and I first met,"_ Naminé immediately answered with a tone of fond, happiness. _"This is a place that Master Yen Sid says was once known as the Land of Departure, until it eventually became Castle Oblivion."_

" _This_ is Castle Oblivion," Sora and Kairi both exclaimed, as the former suddenly started to feel a bit nervous as he remembered his first experience in the strangely shaped castle with a white interior and magical rooms.

 _"_ _Well, it will be someday,"_ Naminé corrected them. _"I don't know what caused it to change, but it seems that it may be close to doing so, but don't worry, nothing that happened to you the last time you were here will happen now, Sora. Most of that was…my fault after all."_

"Hey, it wasn't your fault, Naminé," Sora reassured her. "Organization XIII made you do all that stuff, but why did the spell put us here, anyway?"

 _"_ _Master Yen Sid says that he intended to place you both somewhere close to where one of the Keyblade masters was, and that he was certain that you would at least end up on whatever world that particular master was on at the time. He also wants me to tell you that given your current location and what he remembers from history, the master that is likely to be here is definitely the perfect person to talk to first."_

"So which one of them is it," Kairi asked excitedly.

 _"_ _Mickey says that its Master Aqua, but you should still be prepared for anything. She wasn't exactly herself if the Land of Departure is in the state it sounds like its in."_

"What do you mean by…," Sora began to ask, until he suddenly screamed in shock and jumped out of the way before being hit by a sudden Blizzard spell. Kairi was about to run over to him to see if he was okay, but she had to back track to cover as well just as a fire spell suddenly flew in her direction. When Sora saw that a barrage of spells seemed to be focusing on Kairi, he immediately summoned his Keyblade and rushed over to stand between her and the source of the spell barrage before casting a Reflect spell to repel the blasts.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you both need to get out," a female voice shouted at them before continuing the barrage from another direction, leading Kairi to summon her own Keyblade and cast the same spell as Sora.

"If that was the master we're looking for just now, I don't think she's too fond of visitors," Kairi remarked.

"No kidding," Sora agreed before he cast a Fire spell of his own in the direction of where the barrage was currently coming from. They found out a minute later that Sora's efforts provided no results, as the barrage immediately started coming from the opposite direction, leading him to swing his Keyblade around and cast Reflect once again. "You bored yet," Sora then asked.

"Yep," Kairi replied as she stepped forward and raised her Keyblade up above her. "WIND!"

The minute Kairi shouted out the element of the spell she cast, a large vortex rose up around her and Sora, and began to cover the surrounding area. Sora then pointed his Keyblade into the rushing winds and cast another Fire spell, letting out a swirling flurry of flames at their surroundings. At first it did not seem their efforts pay off, but soon enough, they heard a grunt of pain and then they both spun around to see a figure fall to the ground behind them. Sora then raced over as the figure was turning over and thrust the tip of his Keyblade at their throat as he told the person, "Look we didn't come here to fight, we're looking for a Keyblade Master who lives here!"

Kairi then walked over to stand beside the boy she held strong feelings for and then gasped when she finally laid eyes on the figure that Sora had pinned down, getting a good look at the person for the first time. The figure was most certainly a young woman, who was probably just a little older than her and Sora by two or three years at least, with messy blue hair that extended half way to her mid back. The woman's clothing consisted of what Kairi could most closely consider as rags, as it consisted of tattered remains of a light blue cloak, a torn black shirt, light blue pants that had cuts and tears all throughout them, and worn out silver shoes. In all honesty, the woman looked like a mess, and if one were to judge by the state of her hair, which was disheveled and looking as though it had not been so much as touched by a brush in a long time, then they would say that she looked as though she had not even so much as showered in ages.

Kairi was soon brought out of her musings when the woman finally snarled at Sora saying, "Well then you're out of luck. The only master that ever lived here is long dead, struck down by his former friend after being weakened by one of his own students. The only one living here now is me, a person who is nothing more than a sham of a master, and who never deserved the right to be given that title."

Sora and Kairi's eyes both widened in surprise and for a moment they were both silent until Sora finally asked, " _You're_ Master Aqua?!"

Aqua's eyes narrowed at hearing Sora's question, and she immediately slapped his Keyblade away before extending her hand forward and blasting the boy with a Blizzard spell that sent him flying back as she warned him menacingly, "Don't call me that! I'm _not_ a master! Now for the last time, leave!"

Aqua then spun around on her heel and started to walk away until Kairi called out, "Aqua, please, wait a minute! We need your help! You're one of the only ones who can help us stop Xehanort and save the future!"

Aqua immediately froze when she heard Kairi say that, and she then turned back to give Kairi a quizzical expression as she asked, "How do you know about Xehanort, and what exactly do you mean by 'save the future'?"

"It's a long story, and we're more than willing to tell you everything, but first, can we go somewhere we can talk after you help me…," Kairi replied as she indicated Sora who was now struggling a bit to stand up when she finished.

Aqua looked between the two for a minute before she finally sighed and said, "Fine I'll hear you out after we get your lover fixed up."

"He's not my lover, he's my boyfriend," Kairi shouted. Her face then turned the same color as her hair when she realized what she said, and she quickly stuttered, "I-I mean, he's my _best_ friend."

"Sure, and I'm a Princess of Heart," Aqua retorted sarcastically as she placed both hands over Sora's chest and began trying to heal him. Kairi took a moment to shake off her blush and the slight feeling of butterflies in her stomach and then summoned her Keyblade to help Aqua heal Sora more quickly, the whole time stealing a glance at Aqua, knowing full well what she would likely have to say if Aqua was going to believe them.

* * *

A few hours later, Sora had been completely healed up, and Aqua had lead both him and Kairi into a large room in the castle with a stain glass window over the entrance, and a set of three thrones at the head of the room, which Aqua explained to them was the room in which she had taken her Mark of Mastery Exam. After sitting down on the center throne, Aqua gestured for Sora and Kairi to start explaining, prompting the boy to step forward and begin their story. "Ma…Uh, Aqua," Sora began, quickly covering up his near slip up of calling Aqua "master" again. "We've been sent here from the future so that we could find you and two others to help us change it and prevent a war between light and darkness that has nearly destroyed all of the worlds."

"The future," Aqua asked sardonically. When Kairi and Sora both nodded in affirmative response, Aqua immediately let out a humorless laugh before asking, "Do you seriously expect me to believe that?"

"Please, just hear us out," Sora practically begged. When Aqua saw how serious Sora was from the look on his face, her face quickly morphed to an expression of seriousness as she nodded for Sora to continue, leading Sora to begin the tale of all that had happened to lead both him and Kairi to where they are now. "When this all began years ago, Xehanort was okay with just leaving the destruction of worlds to creatures born from the darkness in people's hearts known as the Heartless, one of his most loyal and trusted followers, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and a group of villains from a bunch of different worlds, which was lead by Maleficent. For a long time, the process of the worlds' destruction was slow going, even with the aid of the creatures known as the Unversed sometimes opening the way to a world and the world's heart for them, but it was still a serious problem. I myself was not involved in any of this until the darkness destroyed my home and separated me from two of my best friends, one of which being her." Kairi gained a small blush when Sora gestured to her, as she remembered exactly what Sora had to do to find and save her on that first adventure of his.

"It was around that same time that I was first deemed worthy to wield the Keyblade, and after arriving on the world of Traverse Town, I set out on a journey to find both my friends and save my world and all other worlds from being consumed by darkness alongside Donald and Goofy of Disney Castle," Sora continued. "Eventually, we did find both of my friends, but I'm sad to say that one of them had given over to the darkness after Xehanort had poisoned his heart with it, turning him into one of our greatest foes. I fought him with everything I had, and he did the same towards me, and somehow, I was able to eventually come out on top, but Ansem was able to pull him away into a Corridor of Darkness and back to Xehanort before I could do anything to save him. The only thing that I could do at that point was help seal the Door to Darkness, hopefully for good."

"Eventually, we discovered others who were deemed worthy of a Keyblade, including my friend here…"

"You mean, your girlfriend," Aqua interrupted.

"Sh-shut up, and let me finish," Sora immediately stuttered as his face began to heat up. He then coughed and regained his composure and continued on with what he was saying. "Anyway, after discovering that there were others who were worthy of the Keyblade, we tracked them down and formed a new group of guardians of light that would help us to oppose Xehanort. That was right around the time we first encountered the other side of Xehanort's forces, the Nobodies of Organization XIII."

"Nobodies," Aqua asked in confusion.

Sora nodded and quickly explained, "You see, when a particularly powerful person's heart falls to darkness and causes them to become a Heartless, their empty shell that's left behind gains a life of its own, creating a creature known as a Nobody. They're basically a being that doesn't have a heart, the opposite of a Heartless in a sense, but they aren't of light or darkness, and a few retain their original body. Normally, a Nobody would only be created if a person became a Heartless, but Xehanort discovered a way to create Nobodies of someone who had darkness in their heart for even a moment, darkness that was powerful enough to have caused them to become a Heartless themselves. The end results were almost exactly what he wanted, but these artificial Nobodies were not as strong as they would have been if their original had fallen to darkness. They soon found a way around that problem though, because eventually, we found out that if an artificial Nobody's original were to be destroyed, then the artificial Nobody would become a full fledged, true Nobody, and gain their full power, especially in the case of the ones in Organization XIII, which is led by Xemnas."

"With the aid of Organization XIII and their army of Nobodies, Xehanort's efforts to plunge the worlds into darkness were soon back at full strength before becoming re-doubled, and while we're fortunate that two Nobodies, who go by the names of Roxas and Naminé, joined our side, Organization XIII was quick to fill the gap that Roxas had left in their ranks with someone who's essentially a clone of Roxas who goes by the name of Xion. Now, the only worlds left are Traverse Town, Disney Town, and the Mysterious Tower. We had all begun to think that everything we had been through and fought for was starting to seem hopeless, especially after losing so many of our own forces, until we discovered that someone had tampered with history, changing it from what it should be into what it is now. After discovering this, my friend, and yes I do mean **friend** , and I came back in time to find the only people who can help us set things right, and you're one of those people."

Aqua took a moment to take in all that Sora had told her, and then seemed to think over all that he had said before she finally stood up and turned to leave the room saying, "I'll admit that your story's very interesting, even though it's extremely hard to believe, but I can't help you. Why don't you both just go back to the future and tell whoever sent you that I'm sorry, but it's just not possible."

Kairi looked like she wanted to protest, but Sora just shook his head no to her and let Aqua walk away for a minute before he finally called out, "The people who sent us was Master Yen Sid and King Mickey of Disney Castle."

Aqua immediately froze upon hearing that, and then spun around, ran up to Sora, and grabbed his shoulders as she hurriedly asked, "You've seen Mickey?! You know where he is?!"

"Calm down, please! I think I'm going to be sick," Sora told the blue haired Keyblade wielder as his face turned green for a minute due to Aqua shaking him. Aqua immediately released Sora and backed up with a sheepish expression quickly finding its way to her face, while Sora tired to get his breath back and straightened out his jacket before finally replying, "Yes we know Mickey, but we don't know where he is. At least not _your_ Mickey, because we know where future Mickey is, and he knows where this time's Mickey is, but he said he wouldn't tell us until we found you and the other two."

Aqua looked at Sora in consideration for a minute until she finally turned around again, but this time it was not to walk away, but so that she could hide the look of shame that had found its way onto her face as she hung her head in the same manner saying, "I'm sorry, but I really can't help you. I'm not even able to summon my Keyblade to me anymore, and my closest friends and I…we're not friends anymore either."

From only one glance at Kairi's face, one could tell that the girl was clearly getting frustrated with her senior Keybearer, but that frustration quickly turned to curiosity when she saw that Aqua had pulled out a blue, star-shaped charm with silver lining as she had said that last bit. "What's that in your hand," Kairi asked.

Aqua then seemed to gain a faint trace of a smile on her face for a full minute before it vanished again as she explained, "It's a Wayfinder, a kind of good luck charm that I made for myself and my friends. I had heard that somewhere out there is a world with star-shaped fruit which represents an unbreakable connection and that so long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing could ever drive you apart, and you would always find your way back to each other. I know that technically you're supposed to use seashells to make them, but I did the best with what I could when I made mine and the ones I also made for my best friends at the time, Terra and Ven."

"It looks beautiful," Kairi commented as she stepped up to get a better look at it before she pulled out her own star-shaped good luck charm to show to Aqua. "I've got one just like it, and I can tell you that the legend is definitely true. This good luck charm has always helped me to make sure that Sora and I always make it back to each other many times in the past, and I'm sure that yours will help you reunite with Terra and Ventus soon too."

Aqua smiled lightly when she heard what Kairi said about her good luck charm, but the minute the redhead had mentioned Terra and Ventus, that smile was replaced by a scowl as she said, "Don't bother trying. I have no clue where to even start looking for Ventus and as for Terra…if I ever saw his face again, it would be too soon. That man is nothing more than a monster."

"Well, I'd hate to break it to you, but we need to Ventus _and_ Terra if we're going to save the future," Kairi told Aqua. When Aqua just huffed and turned away with her arms crossed, Kairi finally reached her breaking point and said, "If you won't do this for them, then you could at least do it for all the people you've saved on other worlds, including that little girl you once saved from the Unversed in Radiant Garden!"

Aqua gasped in shock before she slowly turned to Kairi and whispered, "How did you know about that?"

Kairi just took a calming breath before she began saying, "When you first visited Radiant Garden, you went up to the castle and found a little girl being chased by the Unversed and immediately summoned your Keyblade in order to help her, but you knew that you wouldn't be able to fight well and protect her at the same time. That was when King Mickey appeared and fought to stall the Unversed long enough for you to get that girl to safety before coming back to help him finish off the Unversed. When you did, Mickey disappeared in a flash of blue light after introducing himself to you and telling you that he thought that the monsters were after the girl because she held a great deal of pure light within her heart. After staring at the sky where Mickey had disappeared to for a minute, you looked down to see that the girl was presenting you with a small bouquet of flowers that she picked herself as thanks for saving her. Before the girl left with her grandmother, you cast a magic spell on her saying that one day when she was in trouble the light within her would lead her to the light of another, someone to keep her safe." Kairi paused in her answer for a moment before she finally looked Aqua straight in the eye and finished, "That spell, allowed her to be sent to a world called Destiny Islands when Radiant Garden fell to darkness and was transformed into Hollow Bastion, where she met two boys that became her new best friends, one of which was Sora, allowed her heart to find safety inside of Sora's heart before it was taken by darkness, and then eventually allowed her to become one of the most powerful Keyblade Wielders to fight for the light. Aqua…that little girl is me. I am Kairi."

Aqua's eyes instantly widened in shock when she heard this and she slowly walked over to Kairi and raised her hand up to Kairi's face, almost as though she were not sure if what she was looking at was real or not. When her hand finally touched Kairi's cheek, she suddenly saw Kairi change from the strong and brave Keyblade Wielder before her into a small girl with shorter hair in a white dress and purple sandals carrying a few flowers with a bright smile. "By the worlds," Aqua gasped. "You…you really are…"

"When I arrived on Destiny Islands, I lost my memories of where I came from for a little while, but after I regained them, I remembered everything about that day with crystal clarity," Kairi told Aqua proudly. "And when I gained my Keyblade, I did my best to be just as strong a Keybearer as you were so that I could hopefully one day meet you and fight alongside you, while also training to become strong enough to fight alongside Sora and all of our friends as well. Aqua, in my eyes, you've always been more than worthy to be called a Keyblade Master, and I still believe that even now."

Aqua stared at Kairi in shock for a few more minutes until she finally began to let a few tears fall from her eyes as she embraced Kairi in a tight hug, crying into the red haired girl's shoulder as she did. Kairi was a bit hesitant at first, but eventually, she returned the hug as she patted Aqua's back in an attempt to calm her down. When Aqua finally regained control of herself and released Kairi, she looked between the young princess of heart and Sora and said, "Okay, I'll help, but what can I really do if I can't use the Keyblade anymore?"

Kairi tapped her chin in thought for a minute before she turned to Sora and asked, "Do you have any ideas, Sora?"

"I don't really know," Sora replied as he crossed his arms in thought for a minute. He was about to say something else when his face suddenly lit up with excitement and he exclaimed, "Wait a minute, maybe I do. Kairi, summon your Keyblade and hold it out to Aqua."

Kairi raised an eyebrow at Sora, an action that Sora thought made her look rather cute when she did, but in the end she simply shrugged and elected to trust Sora's judgment as she summoned Destiny's Embrace to her hand. Sora then walked up to stand next to Kairi and whispered something in her ear that made Kairi blush a minute due to Sora's close proximity and then grin excitedly when she heard the idea. After Sora moved back, Kairi cleared her throat as she turned to Aqua with her Keyblade's hilt extended towards her and said, "In your hand take this key. So long as you still have the makings, then through this act of taking, its wielder you shall once again be. And you will find me again, friend, no ocean shall contain you once again. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

Aqua looked at the two in surprise for a minute upon realizing what they were doing before she finally gave a small smile and reached out to grasp the handle of Kairi's Keyblade. After holding the handle of the blade for a minute or two, Aqua let go of the golden, flowery Keyblade and stepped back, feeling strangely re-energized for some reason that she could not quite explain, and upon raising her hand up on instinct, a flash of blue light reached everyone's eyes, and a navy blue Keyblade with a black and grey circular, jagged edged guard, and four short, blunt spikes surrounded by a rectangular frame for teeth appeared in her hand. "My Keyblade," Aqua exclaimed as she looked at the mystical weapon with great joy. "It's really back! I can't believe that actually worked, and don't try to act like you guys didn't just do an altered version of the Keyblade inheritance ceremony just now, because I know you did."

Sora just placed his hands behind his hand while Kairi placed hers behind her back as they both gave her a small laugh and a cheesy grin in response. "Hey, it worked didn't it," Sora asked. "So what's this Keyblade called?"

Aqua looked back down at her Keyblade happily for a minute before she softly replied, "Stormfall."

Kairi and Sora both nodded in reply to this as Aqua dismissed her reacquired Keyblade before Sora said, "Well now that we've taken care that, let's go find Ventus and Terra, and then go find Mickey."

"Hold on," Aqua suddenly said, causing the two time-travelers to pause and just barely hold back a groan of annoyance from thinking that Aqua was still hesitant to come. "I can't go with you guys, at least not while I'm dressed like this. Go on ahead and I'll meet you outside the castle's entrance."

Kairi and Sora both nodded in understanding before they turned and raced to the entrance of the castle while Aqua walked off in the direction of her room. Once she had reached her room, Aqua walked up to one of the two closets that were in there, and opened it up to reveal the outfit that was inside as she softly muttered, "It's been a long time since I've worn this, but maybe I'm finally ready to do so again."

* * *

"How long does it take for one person to change clothes," Sora moaned impatiently as he sat on the steps next to Kairi waiting for Aqua.

Kairi could only roll her eyes at Sora's childishness, but admittedly, she was glad that was something about the wielder of the Kingdom Key that had not changed. "Give her a break Sora," Kairi told him off. "It did seem like it's been a while since she wore something other than what she was wearing a minute ago. Maybe she's just having trouble finding a good outfit that would be suitable for traveling the worlds and fighting."

"Oi, after all that blasting and stuff, it seems that even that woman can be a total girl sometimes," Sora sighed.

"Hey, what do you mean 'sometimes'," Aqua's voice suddenly asked, making Sora jump up from his seat on the steps and spin around in preparation to block the possible attack that was heading his way. Before he even attempted to summon his Keyblade though, he got a look at Aqua and had to pause and stare for a moment, which led Kairi to turn around and gasp in shock at the sight of what Sora had seen.

There stood Aqua at the top of the steps, but she was now looking much better than she had before. Gone were the rags that she had been wearing before, and in their place, Aqua now wore a black and navy blue, high-collared halter top, a black corset with two pairs of white laces, and two pink straps that intersected over her chest in an x-shape with a strangely shaped, silver badge in the center. Her arms were now covered by a pair of white bell-sleeves, with a segmented piece of silver-blue armor on her upper arms over both sleeves, while her hands were now covered by a pair of tan, fingerless gloves. Looking downward, one could see that she was also sporting a pair of black shorts and similarly colored stockings that reached halfway up her thighs, leaving a small amount of her skin bear. A strip of blue cloth was draped over both of her hips, while a smaller, white strip was tied around her waist in the same way, while a pair of pointed, silver, armored boots completed her outfit. Aqua had left her hair at its current length, but it was now clearly combed and brushed so that it was not the bushy, untamed mess that it was before, giving her the appearance of a beautiful, elegant, yet also powerful warrior.

"Wow," Kairi breathed in awe. "You look exactly like how remember you from when we first met, except with longer hair. Are you sure you don't want to get it cut real quick? I think you looked much prettier when it was shorter."

Aqua giggled for a minute before she shook her head and adopted a serious expression as she said, "There's not really any time for that right now. We need to get moving quickly."

"Right, but we can't go anywhere just yet," Sora suddenly said as he turned away from Aqua with his arms crossed.

"Now what's wrong," Kairi moaned.

"Simple," Sora replied as he spun around and pointed at Aqua. "You can't come along looking like that."

"What? Why, what's wrong with my outfit," Aqua asked in confusion, mostly because it was what she always wore when she was traveling the worlds before and when she was training.

"Not your outfit, your face," Sora clarified. Kairi's face instantly lit up in amusement as she tried to suppress her giggles while Aqua's only gained a look of confusion until Sora clarified, "If you're gonna travel with us, then you've gotta remember the first rule of doing so. No frowning, no sad faces. You've gotta be happy."

"Happy," Aqua asked. "I'm not sure if I even know how to smile anymore. After all that had happened, how am I supposed to do that?"

"Like this," Sora replied simply as he made a ridiculous face at Aqua. After looking at this for a minute, Aqua found she could not help but burst out laughing at the face Sora was making, and Kairi was soon right behind her in that regard. "See that's better."

Aqua smiled a bit before she softly said, "Thank you, Sora. I guess I really needed that more than I realized. Now, if we're going to do this, we should start by finding Ven. I know where Terra is, and I can guarantee you that he's not going anywhere any time soon."

"Okay then, so where is Ventus," Kairi asked.

"He's off on one of the other worlds," Aqua replied. "I'm not entirely sure which one, but if I had to guess, I'd say he's probably either in Neverland, Disney Town, or the Castle of Dreams."

"Well then just lead us to the Gummi Ship and we'll be on our way in no time," Sora said as he turned to head down the path in front of them.

Sora was soon brought to a halt when Aqua asked, "Lead you to the what ship?"

Sora turned around to give Aqua a deadpan look as he elaborated, "The Gummi Ship. You know, big ship made of a material known as Gummi blocks, used for traveling between worlds, has weapons for dealing with any monsters we might encounter along the way?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Aqua told Sora flatly.

 _"_ _Um, Sora,"_ Naminé suddenly called out. _"Gummi Ships hadn't been invented yet in that time."_

"WHAT," Sora cried out. "They haven't been invented…you're telling us this now?! Thanks a lot Naminé, and that goes for Mickey and Master Yen Sid too."

Aqua slowly backed away from Sora for a minute before she leaned over to Kairi and asked, "Are you sure you guys aren't crazy?"

"No, Sora's just talking to Naminé," Kairi replied.

"And who's Naminé?"

"Oh, she's my Nobody," Kairi replied casually. "She's also a powerful sorceress that has been training under Master Yen Sid ever since Sora rescued her from Castle Oblivion. Since she helped send us back in time, she's able to communicate with us telepathically or something."

"If she can talk to you guys through your minds, then why is Sora shouting out to the sky like that," Aqua then asked as she pointed to Sora who was doing exactly as she said he was while jumping up and down and waving his arms around wildly in anger.

"I really have no idea," Kairi replied honestly. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah, are you guys telling me that you've never used a Keyblade Glider before," Aqua asked.

"Keyblade what," Kairi and Sora both asked, taking their own turns to be confused at the same time as the latter finally stopped ranting to the sky while shouting at Naminé.

"Keyblade Glider," Aqua explained. "It's an ability that the Keyblade possesses that allows it to become a transport for its wielder, allowing them to travel between the worlds. Here, let me show you." Aqua then summoned Stormfall to her hand after tapping the armor piece on her left arm and gaining a set of blue, silver, grey, and black armor in a sudden flash of light, leaving the younger Keyblade wielders in awe for a minute at the sight of her armor. Aqua then tossed her Keyblade high into the air, and it spun around a few times before transforming into a vehicle that seemed to be a two-part bow-and-platform device which she soon mounted a minute later.

"Wow, I didn't know that the Keyblade could do stuff like that," Sora exclaimed in wide-eyed excitement. "But what's with the armor?"

"It's to keep you safe from the darkness that's around you when you're traveling between the worlds," Aqua replied. "I thought you already knew that kind of thing since you both have your own sets of armor."

Sora and Kairi both then glanced at their respective shoulder armors, finally realizing one of the reasons that they each had said accessory, and then mimicked Aqua's actions and summoned their own armors forth. In terms of overall appearance, Kairi's armor was honestly not all that different from Aqua's aside from the fact that it was mostly pink, white, and purple and that it held a gold, crown shaped symbol on the center of the chest plate. Sora's on the other hand seemed to be rather slim fitting, almost as though it was fitted to his exact body shape, and was colored mostly black and red with gold highlights. A silver version of the crown symbol on Kairi's armor was also worn on the chest plate of his armor, and his black helmet had a pair of brown prongs on either side that extended upwards diagonally.

"Hey, check us out," Sora exclaimed after looking over his new armor for a minute.

"Oh I am," Kairi muttered as she gazed at Sora's new armored form with a dreamy look in her eyes, extremely thankful that said look was hidden by her helmet along with the blush she had gained a minute later after she realized she had said that aloud.

"Okay, now that you've got your armors on, try summoning your Keyblade Gliders," Aqua instructed. "When you throw your Keyblades up, try imagining that your flying and that the Keyblades are your wings beginning to spread."

Sora and Kairi both nodded in understanding as they summoned the Kingdom Key and Destiny's Embrace respectively, and then did exactly as Aqua told them to before throwing their respective swords into the air. For a minute, nothing seemed to happen, until finally both Keyblades disappeared in a flash of light and then swooped back down to them in new forms. Kairi's Keyblade had transformed into a vehicle that was similar to Aqua's except in the colors of Destiny's Embrace with an added flower design, while Sora's became something that was more akin to a large, silver motorcycle with yellow highlights and a pair of extensions on the front of said motorcycle that indicated that it also possessed a bit of long range firing power in it. The two could only stare at the vehicles in awe for a minute before they both laughed in excitement and climbed aboard the vehicles.

"Okay Aqua, lead the way out of here so we can go and find Ventus," Sora jokingly ordered, clearly showing how excited he was to really try out his new ride.

Aqua could only chuckle in amusement for a minute before she replied in an equally joking tone, "Yes sir."

Aqua then shot off into the sky with Sora and Kairi right behind her as a portal to the lanes between opened up before them and allowed them all to pass through. As they raced between the worlds to their first destination, Sora and Kairi seemed to pause for a minute as they received a message from Naminé, which Kairi immediately relayed to Aqua by saying, "Aqua, Mickey says that we should try looking at the Castle of Dreams first."

"Uh just to be clear, you mean future Mickey, right," Aqua asked.

"Well I don't mean past Mickey," Kairi joked.

"Wait, which past Mickey, because from your perspective, my time's Mickey would be a past version, so do you mean my present-day Mickey/your past Mickey, or a past Mickey before both of our present Mickeys," Aqua asked.

"I hate you so much," Sora growled, knowing that Aqua had only said that to tease them and her doing so had caused his head to hurt. The sole boy of the three Keyblade wielders then rocketed ahead to leave the girls behind and allow them to laugh at his expense for a minute before racing ahead to catch up with him.

As soon as she was next to him, Kairi smirked and called out to Sora, "Come on you lazy bum, is that really as fast as you can go?"

"Oh you are so on," Sora chuckled challengingly, and he and Kairi immediately began to literally race towards the Castle of Dreams with Aqua joining in a few seconds later. As they watched their senior Keyblade wielder enjoy herself in the way she was, Sora and Kairi could not help but feel that somehow, they were already well on their way to fixing the past and saving the future.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 2:**

 **Castle Oblivion. How long has it been since I had last heard the name of that place which was once the beautiful and wondrous world of my late friend Eraqus and his pupils? I had long hoped that the next time I did hear of it was when we learned of Aqua's return or of the time when we finally found a way to restore poor Ventus's heart, but sadly, this did not come about because of either situation. Much to my surprise, Castle Oblivion was discovered by Sora, Donald, and Goofy after the three had felt as though something were calling them there, and it was there that they had their first great confrontation with Organization XIII. Suspecting that the castle was actually a stronghold for the dark group of Nobodies, Sora and his two friends went in to further investigate, only to find that as they progressed through the castle, they were losing very important memories of their adventures. Yet while Donald and Goofy continued to forget things, Sora seemed to gain new memories as well; memories of another girl being on the islands with him, Kairi, and Riku, a girl named Naminé. Eventually though, the memories of Naminé began to replace the memories Sora had of Kairi, until Naminé herself appeared before Sora and revealed the truth.**

 **Naminé herself was in fact the Nobody of Kairi and she was a very unique case of Nobody at that. She had no memories of when she was human, and her appearance was nothing like that of Kairi's, but she still retained enough memories to know who's Nobody she was, and there was one other thing about Naminé that made her different from all other Nobodies. She possessed the power to tamper with and alter the memories of Sora and those close to him, and she had been forced to use these powers on Sora as he and his friends made their way through Castle Oblivion by a group from Organization XIII. Thankfully, the damage was not so great and Naminé was able to reveal the truth before it was too late, but despite his memories of her being false, Sora still fulfilled his promise to protect and rescue Naminé by freeing her from her imprisonment, and driving Organization XIII out of the castle.**

 **After their escape, Sora brought Naminé to my tower where Sora introduced the young woman to both myself and Kairi, and true to her nature as a Princess of Heart, Kairi immediately forgave Naminé for her actions and became fast friends with the Nobody. I decided to take on Naminé as my apprentice in sorcery after sensing a great talent for magic within her, and she happily agreed to begin as soon as she had completed the restoration of Sora's true memories. The process would take a long time, but thankfully, we have the aid of Ansem the Wise to speed up the process. I can only hope that nothing shall occur to disrupt the process or bring about more problems for us as we wait for Sora to reawaken from the slumber he had to fall into in order for the process to take full effect.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Well there you have it. As you can probably see, most of the events that happened in the first Kingdom Hearts game remain the same in this story with exception of Riku being taken by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and being completely brainwashed into staying on the side of darkness, and if you read the Yen Sid report, you'll find that the same is true for the story of Chain of Memories, except for the fact that none of the bad guys ended up dead, Namin_** _ **é ended up becoming a magic apprentice under Yen Sid afterwards while restoring Sora's memories, and the fact that Kairi met her Nobody immediately after the whole ordeal instead of during the events of Kingdom Hearts II.**_

 _ **Now, if you're having trouble seeing the appearance of some things in this chapter, let me clear it up for you. Kairi's new look outside of her armor is basically a mix between her Kingdom Hearts II appearance and that of Aqua's appearance in Birth by Sleep, while Sora's remains the same except with shoulder armor like Ventus's and a set of armor on the same arm like the armor that Terra wore when he wasn't armored up. Kairi's armor is also the same as Aqua's except for the colors and the addition of the crown symbol which looks like the crown on Sora's necklace, and Sora's is basically like Ventus's armor in his colors with the same symbol. I added the crown symbol to their armors as a way of distinguishing Sora and Kairi from the heroes of Birth by Sleep. As I said, Kairi's Keyblade Rider is the same as Aqua's, because I didn't want to go to all the trouble of thinking up an entirely new set of Keyblade Riders for Sora and Kairi, while Sora's is like Terra's. I know that when some people give Sora a Keyblade Rider they like to give Sora one that looks like Ventus's, but I thought that the motorcycle one was cooler and would work better for Sora in this story.**_

 _ **As for Aqua's appearance, during initial appearance when she first shows up in this chapter, just think of Aqua with longer hair and wearing rags or something that you think she would wear if she had gone into a state of depression that would make one think she had given up hope. Her final appearance outside of the armor when she emerges from the castle is the same as her Birth by Sleep appearance, again with her hair still longer than it originally was.**_

 _ **Speaking of the Land of Departure, it's basically the way it was before it was turned into Castle Oblivion but after Xehanort had tried to destroy it, so sorry but Eraqus isn't around for those of you who were hoping to see him. I actually wanted to make sure that I had a few things that were also well known from Kingdom Hearts, like when Kairi mentioned her first meeting with Aqua, or when Sora called Aqua "such a girl" like Terra did at the beginning of Birth by Sleep. If you need me to point out the others, then you need to go back and review your Kingdom Hearts history and facts, but I threw that in there so that I could show that while many things have changed, there are some things that have still stayed the same.**_

 _ **I hope I didn't overdo it with the whole SoraxKairi relationship thing this chapter, but I honestly couldn't help myself. I just really love that Kingdom Hearts couple. Well, I've rambled enough, so onto the preview!...**_

 ** _Sora, Kairi, and Aqua arrive at the Castle of Dreams and begin their search for Ventus, while back in the present day, Mickey and Roxas greet the warriors that have gathered to defend the Mysterious Tower until the time traveling Keyblade Wielders' mission is complete. Will the gathered defenders be enough, and just what will Sora, Kairi, and Aqua discover upon reaching their destination? Find out next time._**

 ** _Please, please, read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	3. Finding Ventus

_**AN: Hey folks, we're back for more, and this time we're going to be taking a peak at our friends in the future to see what's up with them along with an idea as to who all is coming to defend the Mysterious Tower while Sora and Kairi are off doing their thing.**_

 _ **Roxas: Tell me that I'm gonna see some action this chapter.**_

 _ **AN: Sorry Roxas, but as much as I like you, cause seriously, you're a pretty cool character, you're not going to see any action in this story. I mean you'll have some scenes, but it won't be an action scene if that's what you're asking for.**_

 _ **Roxas: Awe man, you're killing me here.**_

 ** _Hades: [approaching Roxas from behind like he's about to grab him]_**

 ** _AN: Still not literally, so don't even think about it Hades. Even if he is in a minor role, we still need him for the story._**

 ** _Hades: [erupts into his enraged flames] Are you kidding me?! How do you always know I'm there?!_**

 ** _AN: I'm the author of the story. I'm supposed to know what happens in this thing and in my own studio._**

 ** _Namin_** _ **é: Quick question, am I going to have any more funny dialogue like I had last chapter with Sora?  
**_

 _ **AN: You might**_ ** _Namin_** _ **é. You might.**_

 _ **Xion: One thing I wanna know is why**_ ** _Namin_** _ **é is such a dominant character again, when she never even does anything! I mean seriously, she does less than Kairi in every Kingdom Hearts game, and all she's doing here is being the bridge between the past and present for Sora and Kairi, while I, a character that actually did something in the game I was in, ended up getting turned to dust by the end of it, and not only that, but I'm one of the bad guys in this story?!**_

 _ **AN: Okay first off, all that stuff about your role in comparison to**_ ** _Namin_** _ **é's, don't blame it on me, talk to the guys who make the Kingdom Hearts games, and besides, it's not like your dead. I mean, how many times has it been alluded to that you would be coming back to life? Second of all, I'm sorry, but that's just how it worked out, because I wanted there to be 13 members of Organization XIII, and you were the only Kingdom Hearts character who fit the bill without me coming up with an OC.**_

 _ **Xion: I don't care if you had to come up with a dozen OCs! How about doing something that makes me not have to be the bad guy here, and then...**_

 _ **AN: Okay, you know what, screw waiting for someone to try and give a spoiler, Imma hittin' this button now. right after I say, DAH! RANTING LADY! [hits the button and trap door opens under Xion]**_

 _ **Xion: [as she's falling] THAT'S NOT FUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! [splashes into water bellow]**_

 _ **AN: Well it is to me. Now then what're we waiting for, an all-expense paid vacation to Disney World? Let's get this story started!**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter III**

Naminé was standing between the beds of the apparently sleeping Sora and Kairi with her eyes closed when she suddenly snapped them open and exclaimed, "They've got Master Aqua with them, and they're going to find Ventus next."

"Hot dog," Mickey exclaimed excitedly. "Do me a favor and tell them that Ven is probably somewhere on the world of the Castle of Dreams, and that they should look there first."

Naminé closed her eyes again for a minute before she opened them once more to say, "Done, and it seems that Master Aqua is enjoying herself by teasing Sora a bit."

Mickey and Yen Sid both could not help but chuckled at this news before the old, wizened sorcerer stroked his beard in thought for a moment before saying, "Now we can only hope that they'll be able to convince Ventus and Terra as easily as they did Aqua."

"Gosh Master Yen Sid, I'm honestly more concerned about how those three will be around each other," Mickey admitted, sadly. "I still remember how things were between them when they ended up having to meet in the Keyblade Graveyard for that final battle, and they weren't all that pretty. To be honest, I consider myself lucky that they didn't turn their Keyblades on each other. Sometimes I wonder if I was right to bring them back together for that final battle like that."

"You did the right thing at the time Mickey," Yen Sid ensured his former pupil. "But don't forget that this time, we will be setting things right well before that battle had occurred, and you won't be alone in trying to bring those three together once more."

"I know Master, but I still can't help but wonder and worry," Mickey admitted.

Yen Sid nodded in consent of this, but before anyone could say anything, there was a knock at the door, and Roxas burst in a minute later. "Master Yen Sid, Mickey, they're here," Roxas exclaimed excitedly.

Mickey's sad expression immediately brightened up at this news, and he quickly followed Roxas in racing out of the tower to meet the people that Roxas was talking about. The minute the two had reached the front entrance, they found a massive gathering of people waiting outside, among which were people from all the worlds that Sora and the others had ever been to, and even some that had only been visited by Terra, Aqua, and Ventus in their time. They could already spot Donald and Goofy chatting with the Beast, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys talking with Pinocchio and his father, Philotese and Hercules training the Seven Dwarves to be a fierce, small fighting force, and even all of Sora's friends from Hollow Bastion approaching them, ready for action, including Cloud, much to the surprise of some.

"Glad you guys could make it," Roxas said as he shook hands with Cloud while Mickey did the same with Leon.

"Sora's done a lot for us in all of his fights against darkness, so as his friends, it's only right that we help him now when he needs us most," Leon replied to the blonde Nobody.

"Well let's hope it'll be enough," Cloud remarked as he looked over the gathered forces. "This is likely going to be our final battle, and it'll be either them or us; all or nothing."

"Don't worry, Cloud, I know that Sora and Kairi will succeed," Mickey reassured the large sword wielding man. On the inside though, Mickey had to admit that he was a bit worried about whether or not the two would succeed. He quickly shook these doubts out of his head before he moved to stand up before the gathered crowd and make a quick speech. "Everyone, for those of you who don't know my name's Mickey, Mickey Mouse, king of Disney Castle. For too long we've had to watch as our worlds and the worlds of others had fallen into darkness, all because of the selfish ambitions of the fallen Keyblade Master, Xehanort, and now there are barely any worlds left at all, but thankfully, not all hope is lost. My good pals Sora and Kairi are embarking on a dangerous mission as we speak that, if successful, will set things right and hopefully, put an end to Xehanort's terrible darkness, but while they are performing this task, they will be vulnerable to any attack that Xehanort's forces would send their way, and so would this world that we now stand upon. Sora and Kairi have done so much for all of us at one point or another while asking for nothing in return, and now, we have a chance to do the same for them by keeping them and this world safe. So let's give Xehanort and his forces of darkness a run for their money and make sure that Sora and Kairi can end the darkness once and for all!"

Mickey's speech was met by a resounding cry of cheers and hollers of excitement that proved that everyone who could fight was still with them, and that was all the reassurance that anyone needed. Immediately after the cheers had died down, Mickey and Roxas began taking up the lead of organizing the large number of forces into groups that would compose the defense forces for their battle, and they were both quite thankful when Leon and Phil offered to help out with that matter. When Naminé saw all of this from a window of the room she and Yen Sid were in, she could not help but smile brightly at the sight of further proof that things were about to come to an end for the better.

* * *

As Roxas and Mickey were greeting their new defense forces in the future, the two time traveling Keyblade Wielders and Aqua had just landed on the home world of Cinderella, just outside said Princess of Heart's former home. "The last time I was here, Terra had told me about how Cinderella had restored his ability to just believe in dreams, and shortly after, I had to help Cinderella herself get the chance to meet the prince again after saving her from the darkness that had consumed her stepmother and stepsisters," Aqua reminisced aloud.

Neither Sora nor Kairi knew what to say in response to this, but they probably would not have bothered saying anything to begin with since they were both busy looking around the area they were currently in. When Kairi finally saw the castle itself in the distance, she could not help but let out a gasp as she smiled in wonder of how beautiful it looked. "I've always wondered what the worlds of the other Princesses of Heart were like," Kairi finally admitted after staring at the castle for a few more minutes. "I'm glad I finally get to see at least one of them."

Aqua had to give a small smile of joy at hearing this, but that happy expression soon turned to one of surprise when a kind, grandmotherly sort of voice called out, "And I am happy to be able to see another of the Princesses of Heart has come to my home."

The three instantly spun around and were greeted with the sight of stars seeming to come together in a blue mist before transforming into a woman in a blue robe with a cloak and holding a thin, silver wand in one hand. "Hey, you're the fairy godmother," Sora exclaimed upon recognizing the woman as someone he met on a past adventure.

"Actually she's Cinderella's fairy godmother," Aqua clarified before she turned to give a polite curtsy to the woman. "It's so good to see you again, ma'am."

"Oh now dearie, there's no need to be so formal, you know," the fairy godmother assured Aqua with a smile. "But tell me, young man, have we met before?"

"Uh…no, not exactly," Sora said as he rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly, finally realizing his blunder. He had forgotten that since he was in the past, it was very likely that he and Kairi would meet people they knew from before they ever met, but he was still quick to shake himself out of this small moment of embarrassment when he realized something. "Hey, how'd you know that Kairi was a Princess of Heart?"

"Aside from the fact that I practically announced it a moment ago," Kairi asked Sora teasingly, making him chuckle sheepishly once again, which Kairi could not help but find a bit cute.

"All those who wield magic such as I do know quite a great deal about those who possess great powers of light and darkness," the fairy godmother explained happily. "So it's really no mystery that we all know who the seven Princesses of Heart are." The happy woman then gained an uncharacteristic sad look on her face before she quietly added, "I only wish that knowledge were of help now."

The three Keyblade wielders looked between themselves in confusion for a minute before they decided to ask her about what she meant after they took care of their business at hand. After coming to this decision, Aqua immediately asked the magical woman, "Perhaps you could help us with something. We're looking for a friend of mine, named Ventus. He's about the same height as Sora here, and has blonde, spiky hair?"

The fairy godmother instantly lit up with happiness once again as she said, "Oh yes, I know who you mean. As you may already know, dear, the boy is good friends with Cinderella's friend Jaq, and they've been spending quite a lot of time together recently."

"So he's really here," Aqua asked happily. "Where is he right now?"

"He and Jaq are both at the palace," the fairy godmother replied. "The little dear, Jaq, moved to live there after Cinderella had left this place to live there herself. Ven arrived there shortly afterward."

"Well what're we waiting for? Let's get over there," Sora exclaimed as he began to run towards the palace, only to be stopped by Kairi placing a hand on his shoulder and pointing to the fairy godmother, who once again had gained a saddened expression. "What's wrong?"

The fairy godmother then sighed and revealed, "I don't want to trouble you dears, but perhaps you could help me in finding Cinderella? You see, she disappeared from the palace a few days ago without a trace, and no one knows what happened."

"Do you think she ran away or something," Aqua asked, now getting worried as well.

"Oh no, of course not," the fairy godmother immediately rebuked. "Cinderella was quite happy at the palace, and when she disappeared her room was completely untouched, and all of her things were left where they were."

Aqua seemed to be getting ready to think over whether or not to agree to help, but she quickly found the decision out of her hands when Sora suddenly said, "Don't worry, we'll do what we can to help find her. That's a promise."

The fairy godmother instantly perked up upon hearing this and thanked Sora quite a few times for his kindness before he and the two girls began their trek towards the palace. As they were walking, Aqua looked to Sora and asked, "Sora, you know as well as I do that if Cinderella had disappeared in the way that she said she had, then Xehanort is likely behind this, so why did you promise her that?"

"Because I know that even if we can't save Cinderella today, then I will sometime in the future," Sora replied confidently. "I mean, I already saved all the Princesses of Heart once, so who's to say that even if history changes, they won't be saved again, whether it's by me or someone else?"

"Sora does have a point," Kairi agreed. "But if we do have a chance to save Cinderella, then we should still try to do what we can to help her. Don't forget that it was Maleficent that was kidnapping the Princesses of Heart and not Xehanort himself, at least as far as we know, so maybe we stand a better chance of saving her."

Aqua could tell that there was not likely to be any way to talk the two out of this, not that she had a reason to, and ended up just sighing and smiling at them both in slight defeat and slight happiness over the fact that they were so determined not to give up. Seeing that their course forward was now clearer than ever, the three then redoubled their pace towards the palace so that they could find Aqua's long lost friend.

* * *

After arriving at the palace, Aqua immediately led the group inside and was able to gain entry for them after speaking with the prince, who recognized her immediately as the woman who helped him to meet Cinderella again, and they were quick to begin their search. Sadly, it seemed that they were not able to find Ventus anywhere, until Aqua remembered what the fairy godmother had told them. "We need to find Jaq," Aqua said. "Because if Ven has been spending time with him, then Jaq will know where Ven is."

"Okay, so what's Jaq look like," Sora asked, not noticing the fairy godmother appearing behind him and Kairi as he said that and waving her wand at them.

"Well, he's a small mouse who's dressed in a red shirt, jacket, and hat," Aqua began explaining, but she immediately stopped short when she noticed something was a bit off. "Hey, did the room suddenly get bigger, or is it just me?"

When Sora and Kairi both glanced around, they both noticed the same thing as Aqua, and immediately cried out, "How did we suddenly get so small?!"

"I thought you might need a little extra help, dears," the fairy godmother's voice called out as she disappeared. "After all, in order to find a mouse, one must sometimes be able to be a mouse. Not to worry, Ventus is much closer than you think."

Aqua raised an eyebrow in confusion when she heard that, but it was quickly replaced with a look of great joy when she noticed a flash of blonde hair with a black and white blur out of the corner of her eye. "Ven," Aqua cried out happily as she took off in the direction she thought she had seen her friend. Sora and Kairi were both quick to follow the senior Keybearer, and it was not long before the three suddenly found themselves in a large maze of a mouse hole within the palace walls. "We should split up. We'll find Ven a lot faster that way."

Before either of the two Keyblade wielders of the future could protest, Aqua had already taken off in one direction, leaving Sora and Kairi with little other options than simply following Aqua's lead and doing the same as well, and so they each took off in separate directions as well in their attempts to find Ventus.

* * *

Ventus was running, jumping, and climbing through the mouse hole maze like crazy, hoping that he was moving fast enough for those people he saw not to have noticed him or for him to have lost them if they had. He did not know who two of them were, but when he got a small glimpse of the third person, he knew immediately who that person was, because even if she was wearing it longer now, he could still recognize that particular shade of blue hair and similarly colored eyes anywhere. Ventus knew for a fact that it was Aqua that was with that group, and while he was glad to see her deep down, the blonde wielder of the Wayward Wind Keyblade did not want to face her right that moment, if ever. It was not because he was angry or upset with Aqua, quite the contrary really, Ventus really cared a great deal about her, but he had his reasons for not wanting to see her right now.

"Ven-Ven, whasa you doin," a squeaky voice suddenly asked, causing Ventus to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Jaq, keep quiet," Ventus shushed as he slapped a hand over his mouse friend's mouth.

"Why? Whasa wrong," Jaq mumbled through Ventus's hand.

"Just be quiet," Ventus whispered, frantically.

"Wait, did you finda Flinderelly? She-a okay," Jaq then asked excitedly after he pried Ventus's hand off.

"No, but I did find someone that I don't want to see right now, which will happen if you don't shut up," Ventus whispered harshly to Jaq, all while wondering why his mouse friend had chosen now of all times to be so chatty.

Unfortunately, Ventus's attempts to keep Jaq quiet continued to be in vain, and that fact was soon proven true when he heard someone coming from behind him at a fast pace, followed by someone exclaiming, "Roxas, is that you?!"

Ventus froze for a minute, knowing that the person's voice was too close to where they were to not be addressing him or Jaq, but then he relaxed a little when he realized that it was not Aqua's voice for two reasons. One reason being it was too deep and masculine to be a girl's voice, let alone Aqua's, and the other reason being that even if it was not like that, why would Aqua address him as Roxas? Ventus turned around and was immediately greeted by the sight of a boy who looked a bit like him, at least in terms of facial features and body build, with brown hair that was even spikier than his own, and dressed in mostly black with a red shirt, and a silver crown necklace. "Roxas, what're you doing here," the spiky haired boy asked, clearly indicating that he was talking with Ventus.

"Uh, I think you have me confused with someone else," Ventus told the boy. "My name's not Roxas, it's Ventus, but call me Ven."

"Oh, so you're Ventus. Well, it's nice to finally meet you in person, Ven. I'm Sora," the boy said as he finally introduced himself.

"Wait, how do you know me," Ventus asked in confusion as he began to drop into a defensive stance.

"Well for one thing, it'd be a little weird if I didn't know about one of the people I was sent to find," Sora replied casually as he placed his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner, similar to how Ventus had so many times before in the past. "And for another thing, I'm actually a Keyblade Wielder from the future who was sent back in time to find you and set things right."

If Sora's words were supposed to make Ventus relax, then they had failed greatly, as Ventus was now more on guard than ever, partly because Sora had admitted he was a Keyblade wielder so casually and partly because he just seemed crazy. "The future," Ventus asked skeptically as he summoned Wayward Wind. "Get real."

"Would it help if I said that Mickey sent me," Sora asked in an attempt to calm Ventus down.

"You know Mickey," Ventus asked as he finally lowered his Keyblade.

"Well, not your Mickey, but Mickey in the future," Sora clarified. Ventus seemed like he was about to get back on guard again until they suddenly heard someone calling out to Sora, and this person sounded like a girl. "Over here you guys! I found him!"

Now Ventus was worried, because if Sora was talking to more than one person, he could already guess who one of the other people was, and he was still not ready to see her. He was about to make another mad dash of an escape, but the other two people had already arrived before he could even try it. Both of the people were girls, and while he did not recognize the girl with dark red hair, he definitely knew the other, taller girl. "Ven," Aqua exclaimed with a happy smile and clear signs of tears beginning to form in her eyes when she saw him. "You're really here."

Aqua was about to run up to him, but she immediately stopped herself when Ventus flinched back a little cried out, "No, don't come any closer!"

Aqua's overjoyed expression had instantly morphed into one of shocked confusion in response to Ventus's outburst, and she was already beginning to assume the worst by thinking that Ventus was really upset with her and probably hated her now, a thought that was now turning her tears of joy into ones of sadness, as Sora could easily tell. "Hey, calm down Ventus," Sora tried to tell the blonde. "I know you probably have some issues with seeing Aqua here, but we're not here to fight. We just need your help." When Ventus did not drop his guard, Sora opted for another tactic by beckoning Kairi to come forward a bit as he asked, "Would it help if you had the reassurance of a Princess of Heart?"

Ventus raised an eyebrow in confusion at Sora's claim, which Sora took to mean as a good sign and thus motioned for Kairi to say something. "Um, h-hello Ventus," Kairi stuttered for a minute, not really expecting to be put on the spot like that. "My name's Kairi, and like Sora said, I'm one of the seven Princesses of Heart, and I'm also a Keyblade wielder from the future like Sora."

Ventus seemed to relax a bit, apparently having sensed the strong, pure light within Kairi as she had spoken, but he did not drop his guard entirely as he quickly said, "It's very nice to meet you, Princess Kairi, but I must insist that you all stay away from me, for your own good."

"Ven, please," Aqua begged as she tried to slowly approach him. "What're you talking about? We just want to…"

It turned out Aqua's trying to approach her friend, however slowly it may have been, was not a smart decision, as Ventus's first reaction was to throw a fire spell at her. Thankfully, Sora was quick to react by summoning his Kingdom Key and deflecting the blast before it hit her, and he then shot off a blizzard spell to freeze Ventus in his tracks when he saw the blonde beginning to make a run for it. "What was that for," Sora demanded. "Look, I get you guys might not be on the best of terms right now, but you shouldn't go throwing spells like that at your friends!"

"No you don't understand," Ventus cried out, practically begging as he did. "You need to let me go and get away from me! I'm too dangerous to be around right now!"

"What're you talking about," Kairi asked, now just as confused as Aqua.

"Rasa news ta Jaq," Jaq suddenly said, getting the attention of the three, non-frozen Keybearers. "Youa friens of Ven-Ven?"

"Um, yeah, kind of," Sora replied.

"You remember me, right Jaq," Aqua asked.

"Zugk-Zugk," Jaq replied. "So, whoa new friens?"

"I'm Sora, and this is Kairi," Sora introduced. "Nice to meet you, Jaq."

"Zugk-Zugk. Nice to meet you too," Jaq replied happily. "You knowa what wrong with Ven-Ven?"

"That's what we'd like to find out," Kairi assured the mouse. "But first, he needs to know why Sora and I are here, that is assuming that he's willing to listen now."

Ventus knew that the last bit of Kairi's comment was directed at him, and since he could not stop the three from coming up to him anymore, he ended up just rolling his eyes as he said, "Well, I don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so I guess I might as well hear this."

* * *

It was not much later that Sora and Kairi had finished telling Ventus their story, and Ventus was naturally as skeptical about their claims to being from the future as Aqua had been, but it did not take much for the two to convince him of their tale, especially when they told him that they knew about what he did to help out Donald's three nephews when Ventus was in Disney Town. By the time they had finished telling him everything, the ice holding Ventus in place had melted, but he was no longer in any hurry to try and get away anymore, because there was still some things he needed answered. "What do you need me for," Ventus finally asked after a moment, deciding to get to the obvious question first.

"Mickey says that getting you and your friends back together as friends, or at least as a team, is the best way to save the future," Sora replied, deciding to keep it simple.

Ventus nodded in understanding of this, but he still ended up turning his back to them as he said, "I'm sorry, but my answer is still no. I can't help you."

"Ven, what happened? Please tell me that much," Aqua begged the young man.

Ventus paused for a moment, and Sora and Kairi were both worried that he was thinking of ways to try and get away from them again, until he finally sighed and explained why he was trying to be so distant from them. "I'm sure you already know about how Terra had fought Master Eraqus and led the master to be unable to protect himself from Xehanort's sneak attack that ended his life," Ventus asked, receiving a chorus of nods in response from all three Keyblade wielders. "What you may not know is that Terra only fought against the master because he saw Master Eraqus trying to destroy me. The reason is because I had learned the truth about why he was so hesitant to let me leave the Land of Departure."

Aqua's eyes had instantly widened upon hearing that her master, the man she and her two friends had long come to consider to be like their father, had actually raised his Keyblade against Ventus with that sort of intent, but her shock was almost eclipsed by the same confusion that had overcome Kairi and Sora. "What truth are you talking about," Kairi asked Ventus as calmly as she could, but on the inside she could not help but feel afraid of the answer.

"I discovered the truth about my existence and about Vanitas," Ventus replied.

"Vanitas? What does one of Xehanort's number one right hand guys have to do with all this," Sora exclaimed.

"Vanitas is…me," Ventus replied. "Or rather, he's the result of Xehanort extracting all traces of darkness from my heart. In other words, he's the embodiment of my darkness, and Xehanort wants me and him to fight each other to make some kind of χ-blade. I didn't know exactly what it was at first, but after…all that happened between the three of us I did a bit of research with Master Yen Sid's help. The χ-blade was originally the counterpart to Kingdom Hearts, for which it acted as its protector, but when people began to seek out the light of Kingdom Hearts for themselves, they forged the first Keyblades in the χ-blade's image, which eventually led to the Keyblade War. As a result, darkness overtook the world, Kingdom Hearts disappeared, and the χ-blade was splintered into seven fragments of light and thirteen shards of darkness. It was shortly after the worlds were reborn by the lights in children's hearts that some decided to use the Keyblade to defend the light."

"Why does some of this sound familiar," Kairi softly wondered aloud.

"It's almost exactly like your grandmother's story, isn't it," Sora asked Kairi, getting a small smile from Kairi in confirmation.

"Right," Kairi said. "It was my favorite story as a little girl."

"Of course. I remember hearing her tell it to you when you were leaving with her after we first met," Aqua confirmed with a small smile of her own.

"What you don't know, is that the χ-blade can be re-forged," Ventus revealed. "There's two ways to do so, but only one matters, the one that actually involves me. Xehanort believes that if Vanitas and I fight each other, then when our two hearts, mine a heart of light and Vanitas's a heart of darkness, are fused together, the χ-blade will be forged. In other words, it's only a matter of time until I end up having no other choice but to fight Vanitas, which will lead to the χ-blade's creation. If that happens, I won't be able to stop anything that happens as a result to anything or anyone. That's why I've been hiding and trying to keep my distance from both you and Terra, Aqua. I'm too dangerous for you guys to be around, and I don't want you guys to get hurt, or to have to ask you guys to do something I know you won't want to."

"Ven," Aqua gasped, truly touched by Ventus's intentions but at the same time, she could not help but feel that her heart was breaking a bit at the thought of Ventus thinking he should stay away from them, right to the point where she did not know what to say.

Fortunately for her, Sora did know what to say. "If this χ-blade really is that dangerous, then that's all the more reason why you should stay close to your friends at all times." Ventus was about to argue, but Sora was not about to give him the chance as he continued on saying, "Don't try to argue. Trust me; I know for a fact that even if you have nothing to give, you can always count on your friends to have your back no matter what. Even if she did think you were as dangerous to be around as you say you are Aqua would still stick with you no matter what. That's one of the main reasons why she's here right now. I know that you know this fact as well as I do, because you and I are a lot alike, Ven, and we both know that true power doesn't come from the weapon you wield or what skills you have. It comes from within your heart and from your friends."

Ventus looked at Sora in shock for a minute, but in the end he found he could not hold his gaze with Sora's and just turned away from him in shame as he said, "I'm not sure if I really do believe that anymore."

Sora was about to say something else, but when Kairi put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sad look, he knew that it was probably best to leave the poor boy alone for a little bit on that subject. After seeing that Sora was backing off, Kairi stepped a bit closer to Ventus as she asked, "Can you at least help us find out what happened to Cinderella? We promised the fairy godmother we would try and find her."

Ventus looked to Kairi for a minute before he sighed, "I don't really know what happened to her, mostly because Jaq and I were both sleeping when it happened, but I've been looking around the castle trying to find some clues, and I think I found one just before I ran into you guys."

"What was it," Kairi asked with hope clearly evident in her voice.

Ventus just reached into his pocket and produced a folded piece of paper as he said, "I don't know exactly what it is, but I do know that Cinderella's stepmother was planning on sending it to someone after Cinderella had disappeared. I was only able to get it because the one delivering the message was a Flood Unversed."

"Urgh, Stepmuddy have som'in do with Flinderelly's disappearance? Shoulda known," Jaq groaned as Kairi took the paper from Ventus and began to unfold it. Being mouse sized though made unfolding the paper a little difficult for Kairi until Sora and Aqua began to lend a hand. After reading over the letter, it was clear that Jaq was spot on in thinking that Cinderella's stepmother was involved, but it was the person that the letter was addressed to that got their attention.

"Maleficent," Sora and Kairi both snarled when they saw the name.

"She must've made some kind of deal with Lady Tremaine so that she could get her hands on Cinderella in exchange for something that Tremaine would want," Aqua reasoned aloud.

"And if Maleficent is involved, that means that Xehanort really has started getting her to gather up the seven princesses of heart," Sora then added. "If that is the case though, then we might be too late to help her."

"Maybe not," Kairi exclaimed as she indicated a particular line on the paper. "This letter says that Lady Tremaine had locked Cinderella in her old room at her estate, so she might still be there!"

"Oh you've got be kidding me," Aqua exclaimed. "We were just standing outside of the place when we arrived, and I never even sensed a thing was wrong."

"Don't blame yourself for that, Aqua," Sora told his and Kairi's senior Keyblade wielder. "We know now, and we can go rescue her."

"Sora, it'll take us hours to get there like this," Aqua reasoned with Sora.

"Not if we use our Keyblade Gliders," Kairi pointed out, a fact that Aqua smiled at the minute Kairi had pointed it out.

"Wait, Jaq coma with you and helpa Sora, Kai-Kai, and Aqua," Jaq suddenly volunteered.

"Are you sure," Kairi asked.

"Zugk-Zugk. Jaq helpa friens," Jaq replied happily.

"Okay then," Kairi said as she summoned her Keyblade Glider along with Sora and Aqua and then let the mouse climb aboard. The two girls then took off for the Tremaine household with Sora following behind them after he cast one last sad look at Ventus, who had not glanced up at them the entire time they were talking.

* * *

In no time at all, the four had arrived on the windowsill of Cinderella's old room, and sure enough, the princess of heart herself was in there, crying into the sheets of her old bed. Those tears immediately vanished when she saw that Jaq had arrived with help to rescue her, and after promising to be back with the key as soon as possible, the four immediately headed out to search the house for the key. After they entered one of the rooms of the house, Jaq quickly said, "Key's gotta be round here somewhere, but carefee Roos-a-fee."

"Roos-a-fee," Sora asked.

"Roos-a-fee a cat-cat. Meany sneaky. Jump at you, bite at you," Jaq explained.

"Gotcha," Sora replied before he paused for a minute. "Whoa, déjà vu."

"What do you mean Sora," Kairi asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think that I've had that bit of conversation with Jaq before," Sora explained. "But it might've been as either Ventus or Roxas."

Kairi nodded in understanding of this, and the two then moved to help Aqua and Jaq search the room for the key to Cinderella's room. They seemed to be searching the room from top to bottom for hours, which they had to admit was surprisingly much easier when they were the size of a mouse, until Sora finally asked, "Hey, why didn't we just use our Keyblades to open the lock on Cinderella's door?"

"We wouldn't be able to reach it at this size, and it would be a serious misuse of the Keyblade's power," Aqua explained. "And since we don't know whether or not the effects of the fairy godmother's spell are temporary or not, we're just going to have to do things like this."

Sora and Kairi both had to shrug in acceptance of that and then continued searching again until Kairi finally spotted the object they were looking for. Moving quickly, Kairi instantly ran over and grabbed the key so that she could carry it over to the mouse hole and then up to Cinderella's room, never noticing the large black object that was rising up behind her until Jaq shouted out, "Look out! Roos-a-fee!"

Kairi spun around just in time to see a big, black furred cat with green eyes get slammed in the head with a ball of yarn that Jaq had thrown at it from his perch on top of a nearby dresser, and she immediately quickened her pace until Jaq suddenly lost his balance when something hit him from behind. When Sora and Aqua saw the problem, Aqua immediately rushed over to force the cat to move away from Kairi while Sora ran over to help Jaq up, only to be greeted by the sight of Unversed popping up from the ground to attack them. "Jaq, you take the key and go! Kairi and I will deal with these guys! Aqua, can you handle that insult to all good felines," Sora shouted as he summoned the Kingdom Key.

"Just leave it to me," Aqua replied as she assumed a battle stance in front of the cat, allowing Kairi to hand the key off to Jaq so that she could summon Destiny's Embrace to her hand.

"Are you sure that Aqua can handle Roos-a-fee all by herself," Kairi asked Sora as she slashed through a pair of Unversed.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Sora reassured the red head as he blasted away some Shoegazers with a fire spell. "Besides, even if she does end up in trouble, I'm sure she'll be receiving backup at any moment."

Kairi was about to question the meaning behind Sora's words when a group of Scrappers suddenly tried to jump her, and forced her to use the Aero spell in order to repel them. Upon seeing that the Unversed were still coming after Jaq while leaving Aqua to the mercy of the cat, Kairi decided to just accept Sora's word for what it was, even if she did not understand his meaning, and then moved to help Sora keep the Unversed away from Jaq until the mouse could get the key to where it needed to be. The two Keyblade wielders of the future continued to fight off the creatures of darkness with all of their might when they heard Aqua cry out, and upon spinning around to see what had happened, they saw Aqua had been knocked off her feet by the vicious cat, who was now preparing to finish her off.

Kairi was about to move to help Aqua, but she was quickly stopped by Sora grabbing her arm and telling her that they needed to deal with the Unversed first, and by the sound of a Keyblade Glider flying in which was immediately followed by a familiar voice shouting, "AQUA!"

A minute later, Roos-a-fee's paw was batted away by a hard swipe of a Keyblade, which was being wielded backhanded by none other than Ventus, who glared at the large animal and snarled, "I guess you didn't learn your lesson after the last time we played, did you cat?"

"Ven, you're here," Aqua exclaimed happily as she stood up and reassumed her fighting stance. A minute later, the two were fighting off the bad kitty with everything they had while Sora and Kairi finished off the last of the Unversed, sending Lady Tremaine's cat running off with a frightened meow that one would normally only hear a cat give off before being chased by a dog.

After Sora dealt the final blow to the last Unversed, he dismissed his Keyblade before joining Kairi in walking over to where Aqua and Ventus were currently standing, both simply staring at the other almost as though they were waiting for the other to do something at a moment's notice. "Aqua…I…," Ventus finally started to say, until Sora interrupted.

"I'm glad you're here, Ven," Sora told the backhanded wielding Keybearer. "But right now, we should probably help Cinderella by making sure her stepmother can't do any more damage."

"Oh don't worry; I'm sure that Lady Tremaine won't be able to cause Cinderella much more trouble soon enough," Ventus reassured Sora with a small smirk.

"Ven, what did you do," Aqua asked in a lightly scolding yet teasing tone.

"Follow me and you'll see in a minute," Ventus said as he waved for the three to follow him to the main foyer of the house. The three simply shrugged to one and other and did as Ventus asked, admittedly eager to see what Ventus seemed to be so proud of.

* * *

When they reached the foyer at last, they saw that Lady Tremaine and Cinderella's stepsisters were being questioned by the grand duke and some of the royal guards for the charges of kidnapping Cinderella. From where they were, they could not really hear much aside from Tremaine and her daughters shouting about how outrageous and outlandish the accusations were, but they did hear the grand duke say something about receiving an anonymous tip that said otherwise, along with the letter that Lady Tremaine herself wrote to Maleficent that confirmed those suspicions. When they heard that, Aqua, Sora, and Kairi all turned to Ventus to see the blonde had a wide, proud smirk on his face at hearing this news.

"You gave them the letter, didn't you," Aqua asked Ventus.

"Well I wasn't going to do anything with it," Ventus shrugged in an attempt to seem nonchalant about the matter, which failed given that he was wearing a goofy grin as he rested both hands behind his head like Sora had done many times in the past. Sora and Kairi could only respond with a small bout of laughter at Ventus's cleverness, with Aqua joining in a minute later before they all decided to sit back and watch the show until Cinderella finally showed up.

Of course, that turned out to be a bit of a problem when Jaq came running down the hall towards them looking worried. "Ven-Ven, Kai-Kai, Sora, Aqua! Gotta trouble! Big problem," Jaq shouted as he reached them.

"Whoa, calm down Jaq," Ventus told the mouse. "What's wrong?"

"Jaq getta key to Flinderelly's room, but Flinderelly gone by time I there," Jaq told them.

"What," all four Keybearers exclaimed in shock.

"Are you sure she didn't find a way out on her own," Kairi asked, desperately hoping that it did not mean what she thought it did.

"No. No other way out," Jaq shook his head sadly.

Upon hearing this, the four looked to one and other and nodded before racing off to Cinderella's room, only to find it empty just as Jaq had said, with them never encountering the girl who held such strong beliefs about dreams coming true even once. What they found instead though, was a scorch mark on the floor that Aqua was quick to determine could only come from an enchanted fire, which meant that their fears were correct. "Maleficent must've gotten her," Aqua finally concluded aloud. "We were too late."

They all hung their heads in sadness for a few minutes until Sora perked up and said, "Hey come on. Don't forget what I said back at the Land of Departure. No frowning, no sad faces. I know we'll get Cinderella back home safely, and everything will be okay."

As usual, Sora's positive attitude and cheerful smile ended up being quite infectious as Kairi quickly found herself sharing that smile with the boy she held such strong feelings for in a matter of seconds, with Aqua and Ventus doing the same a minute later, all somehow knowing that the wielder of the Kingdom Key was right. After seeing everyone had cheered up quite a bit, Sora then turned to Ventus and asked, "So, what made you change your mind and help us back there?"

Ventus did not hesitate for a minute as he replied, "I realized you were right. Just because I'm having a little trouble and I'm scared of what might happen, it doesn't mean I should cut myself off from my friends and try to cut them out of my life. I need them as much as they need me. I guess I just needed someone to remind me of that."

"Well, we'll gladly keep reminding you of it, so let's say it together," Sora told Ventus with pride as he turned to Kairi before they both spoke at the same time.

"My friends are my power," the two Keyblade Wielders of the future said as one.

"My friends are my power, and I'm theirs," Ventus repeated, adding on a little extra at the end.

"So, Ven," Aqua began to ask, in a surprising moment of shyness. "Does this mean that…you know…you're going to…?"

"Hey, you should know that you can't keep me out things that easily Aqua," Ventus told Aqua with a smile. "Or did you forget how I was so determined to help my friends that I refused to listen to you when you tried to tell me to go home when this whole mess started?"

Aqua could only laugh a little in response to that before she gave Ventus a tight hug in thanks, drawing a sudden blush to the blonde boy's face. After Aqua had finally released Ventus from the hug, he then turned to Sora and asked, "There's one other thing I have to ask before we set out though. Why did you call me Roxas when you first saw me?"

"Uh…It's a long story," Sora replied, thinking that revealing the connection between him and Ventus might alter history in the wrong way if he did tell him. "But right now, we've got one more person to find."

Aqua's face instantly gained a deep scowl as she half growled, "I know you said that we need Terra with us, but I'm telling you, ever since he helped Xehanort strike down Master Eraqus, that man has been nothing more than a monster. He went on a rampage across multiple worlds until he was finally subdued and locked up in the most secure place of one of the most powerful worlds in all of existence, even after the fight he put up to try and escape."

"Wait, what? Where did you hear that, Aqua," Ventus asked.

"Being a Keyblade Master by title, even if you don't deserve it, does have some benefits, Ven," Aqua replied. "I've been doing my best to keep up with what had been happening with the worlds, and with you and Terra ever since we went our separate ways."

"Well I don't know what you heard about him, but whatever it was, it was wrong," Ventus told Aqua. "Terra wasn't subdued by anyone, and he wasn't thrown into a prison after some great struggle."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I was there when it happened," Ventus admitted. "I had gone there hoping that some friends I had made there would let me live with them, but when I saw Terra arrive on that world, I immediately prepared to make a run for the next world, until I heard him scream out in pain. When I turned back around to look again, I saw Terra fall to his knees while he was holding his head, almost like he was in pain, all while a dark aura was manifesting around him. I then saw some guards run over to ask what was wrong, only for Terra to shout at them to get away from him and that it was too dangerous, but by the time he did, something seemed to explode and send both guards flying across the central square. When some other guys showed up, Terra seemed to have a bit more control and his pain appeared to have just disappeared, but he still begged the man who appeared to be the one in charge to lock him up, and it seemed like he eventually agreed, even if he did seem a bit reluctant."

Aqua could barely believe her ears at what she had heard, but even after hearing this her opinion of Terra was not going to change any time soon. She was soon brought out of her musings when Kairi finally asked, "Wait, Ven, where exactly did this happen?"

"In the same place that Terra's still being held," Ventus replied. "The world that is also known as the city of light."

"Wait, you don't mean," Sora started to ask.

"Yep," Aqua confirmed, begrudgingly. "Our next stop is Radiant Garden."

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 3:**

 **It would seem my hopes that nothing would occur while Sora slept was in vain, as we have recently discovered that something was preventing Sora from regaining his full power and memories. The source of this problem originated from Organization XIII, and its two most recent members, who until now we have only known as the Key of Destiny and Number XIV. It first came as rather surprising to us all that there was a fourteenth member of the group of Nobodies at all, but the reason for Number XIV's existence quickly became clear once Naminé discovered the truth.**

 **Number XIV was actually an imperfect clone of the Key of Destiny, much like the Riku that Sora had encountered in Castle Oblivion, and it was designed to drain Sora's power through the Key of Destiny, who Naminé then revealed to be none other than the Nobody of Sora himself. Knowing this, Ansem suggested that we take measures to destroy both the Nobody and the replica, but Naminé was quick to offer a better solution. Instead of destroying either one of them, she suggested that we bring Sora's Nobody to us, and reveal the truth to him, as Naminé had also discovered that like her, Sora's Nobody knew nothing of his life from before he was a Nobody, and Naminé also believed that the boy would likely be able to reverse the process so that the power that had been drained from Sora into the replica, would be returned to Sora through the same conduit that was used before.**

 **It took little convincing for Kairi and our young, fire loving Keyblade wielder, Lea to be persuaded to find Sora's Nobody, and they did so almost immediately after they had left. Upon meeting the Key of Destiny, who identified himself as Roxas, they were able to convince him to return to my tower with them so that he may learn the truth about who he is, and what we needed of him. Upon meeting Naminé and hearing of his past and what we needed of him now, Roxas immediately agreed to help, though whether it was because of the bit of Sora within him or because he seemed to be immediately attracted to Naminé the minute he lay eyes on her, I could not say, after all, as Ansem has told me that he had often learned, the heart is truly a magnificent and mysterious thing.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Okay so, I hope that little Yen Sid report explains part of the reason why Roxas and Xion are both still around, and with this chapter, we've now gotten two of the Birth by Sleep trio back on board with saving the worlds. Hooray~!_**

 ** _Roxas: Uh, isn't it a bit early to celebrate? I mean, you've still gotten get Terra, and that doesn't look like it'll be easy._**

 ** _Namin_** _ **é: And not to mention poor Cinderella.**_

 _ **AN: Oh yeah, that happened. Yeah I'll be honest, Cinderella's not the only princess of heart that's gonna have gone bye bye. If you'll recall, when the first Kingdom Hearts game had started, the only princesses of heart that weren't captured were Kairi, Alice, Jasmine, and possibly Belle. I'm not entirely sure about that last one, but I'm just guessing based off the fact that the Beast had not shown any indication of being in Hollow Bastion until Sora and the others got there, and it is safe to assume that even though they were able to save some of the worlds, there is a chance that some worlds still fell to darkness, simply because of the old no one can be everywhere at once bit.**_

 ** _Namin_** _ **é: What about that little bit there about Ventus and the x-blade?**_

 _ **AN: Oh that, well that was basically giving a bit of background on Ventus and Vanitas's history while also explaining a bit more of what in Birth by Sleep still happened in this story, and also explaining a bit of the legend behind the x-blade, which yes is in fact similar to the story that Kairi's grandmother had told her, if not the same story with more details. I wanted a legitimate reason for Ventus to stay away and fearing for the safety of his friends seemed like a reasonable explanation to me, given Ven's character. I won't lie though, I'm glad that I got an excuse to use the whole "my friends are my power" line from the games in this chapter.**_

 _ **Roxas: And it seems you don't mind showing a little bit of appreciation for the pairing of Aqua and Ventus, huh?**_

 ** _AN: Well to be honest, aside from the number of stories that lean towards the pairing of Terra and Aqua, I haven't ever really seen anything that says anything about official pairings among the Birth by Sleep trio, so really, when it comes to who Aqua is paired up with, I could honestly go either way between either Terra or Ventus for her. Don't be hating me for that if you don't agree with me though. Now, onto the preview!..._**

 ** _Sora and Kairi travel with Aqua and Ventus to Radiant Garden in order to find Terra, and convince the final member of this trio of Keyblade wielders to join them. Just what will they discover when they finally find him, and what sort of encounters will they have on Kairi's homeworld? The answers to all these questions and more, next time._**

 ** _Roxas: Hey uh, shouldn't Xion have come out of the water that she fell into by now?_**

 ** _AN: Huh? Oh, right, that is weird._**

 ** _Namin_** _ **é: [Looking out a window that leads down to where Xion fell] Um guys, I think she's frozen in a block of ice.**_

 _ **AN: Oh that ain't good. Well, I'd better go help take care of that, so my faithful readers, I now say to you...**_

 _ **Please read and review, and see ya real soon!**_

 _ **Seriously, let's hurry and get that girl out of there before she's a permanent Popsicle!**_


	4. A Past Encounter and Freeing Terra

_**AN: Hey guys, we back for another round of Keyblades of Future past, and let me just say, this chapter was a long one, and both really fun and really hard to write since I wanted so many things to happen here in this particular chapter and I wasn't entirely sure how to fit them all in. Admittedly, there was at least one part that I had to cut out, but whaddya gonna do?**_

 _ **Axel: Probably just rock it out and burn through to an idea that works. Got it memorized?**_

 _ **AN: Whatever you say, Axel. Please tell me that Xion has calmed down since what happened in the last chapter's authors note.**_

 _ **Axel: Well she's not planning to murder you in your sleep or anything like that anymore, but if you're asking if she's willing to be all buddy-buddy with you now, I wouldn't hold my breathe.**_

 _ **AN: Dude, do I look worried?**_

 _ **Axel: Fair enough. Say don't you think its weird that Hades hasn't shown up yet?**_

 _ **AN: No but I don't hear anyone complaining. Besides, he's not going to show up until someone says something involving that which he is a god of.**_

 _ **Axel: You mean death?**_

 _ **AN: Yep.**_

 _ **Roxas: At least no one will be dying of laughter this time after seeing him get humiliated like that.**_

 _ **[Hades bursts onto the scene in a blast of fire and starts scoping out targets till AN pulls a lever that sends him down the same trap door Xion fell down in the previous chapter]**_

 _ **Hades: OH COME ON ALREADYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!**_

 _ **AN: You just had to say it didn't you?**_

 _ **Roxas: Sorry.**_

 _ **AN: Anyhow, let's move on to the story, and I think everyone will find something that we all kind of expect from any sort of time travel story like this one happening here.**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter IV**

Kairi was not entirely sure what she should have been feeling at the moment as the four Keyblade wielders flew through the Lanes Between towards their next destination, which just happened to be her original homeworld. On the one hand, she knew it more recently as the place where Maleficent and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness had set up as their base of operations during Sora's first adventure as well as the place where many terrible things had happened, such as Sora disappearing and losing his heart to darkness right before her eyes, but on the other hand, it was her homeworld in the past, before Maleficent had taken it over and plunged it into darkness, transforming it into Hollow Bastion, and from what she heard from Ventus and Aqua, it was quite beautiful. Not that she really needed them to tell her that fact, but she was just a little girl when she ended up thrown away from Radiant Garden and off to Destiny Islands, so her memory of the place was not as clear as she wished it could be. Of course, that just raised another point that she was concerned about.

Going to her original home in the past meant that Kairi was likely to meet her past self there along with anyone she was close to when she lived on Radiant Garden, and she was not sure what would happen if or when that happened. Would she be able to hide who she really was from them, would coming into contact with her past self cause something to happen that would put her and Sora's entire mission into jeopardy, and what would happen if she did something that would prevent her from ever meeting Sora in the first place? These questions and many others were racing through Kairi's mind non-stop, and it did not take a genius to figure out that she was getting very stressed over the matter, even while she was wearing her armor, especially if someone knew her well enough.

As it happened, Sora knew Kairi quite well, and he had known right from the moment Aqua said that they would be going to Radiant Garden that Kairi would be worrying about the matter as much as she was at the moment by now. When he glanced back and saw that he was correct in his assumptions, Sora immediately pulled back a bit so he could fly alongside the red head princess of heart and asked, "Hey, are you okay Kairi?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Kairi attempted to reassure Sora, hoping that she was able to keep her nervousness out of her voice.

Unfortunately for her, Kairi had forgotten who she was talking to, as Sora had naturally picked up on said nervousness. Under normal circumstances, Sora would probably have reached out to place his hand on hers to reassure her, but since they were currently flying and he did not want to risk them crashing into anything, Sora simply smiled behind his helmet, hoping that said smile was showing through his words as he said, "Hey don't worry so much. I mean, we're going to get to see how Radiant Garden was before darkness had come along and destroyed it. If anything it's kind of exciting! We might get to see Leon, Yuffie, or any of our other friends from there when they were younger and before they ever met us!"

Kairi had chuckle a bit at Sora's enthusiasm, and that chuckle eventually turned into a laugh as Sora continued to talk excitedly about the things they could do and the people they could meet after they arrived in Radiant Garden, which Sora immediately took notice of. "There we go," Sora said happily. "Now that's more like the Kairi I know and love."

Kairi stopped laughing when she heard what Sora said, and Sora was quick to pick up on it too, as his face immediately became the same color as Kairi's hair behind his helmet while he tried to cover up what he said, not knowing that Kairi's face had turned the same shade of red as she let loose a bright smile behind her own helmet at hearing Sora say that. Sora continued to try and cover his small moment of accidentally letting his true feelings for Kairi nearly slip out until Ventus suddenly shouted, "Hey you guys! We're here!"

When they heard the blonde boy say that, they immediately followed him in descending down to the world they had just approached until they finally began soaring through skies and then landed in a back alley to dismiss both their Keyblade Gliders and armor without anyone noticing them. As soon as the four stepped out of the alleyway, Kairi and Sora both paused for a moment to look around in amazement as the spiky haired boy declared, "Wow! This is definitely not anything like the Radiant Garden that we knew!"

"No kidding," Kairi agreed. "It's beautiful!"

Kairi was not mistaken in that regard, as they had just walked out into the central square, and after seeing the run down state of Radiant Garden's market and palace so many times after Sora, Donald, and Goofy had freed it from Maleficent on their first adventure, they were truly amazed to see the town so clean, beautiful, and covered in flowers as it was. There did not seem to be a single scratch on any of the buildings or walkways, and the town seemed to sparkle before their eyes in a way that the two could only compare to stars in a clear night sky. They could have sworn that Aqua and Ventus had commented on it being just as they remembered it, but they really had not been paying that much attention to notice.

"I thought you guys said you had been here before, and Kairi, you do remember that this is your original homeworld, right," Aqua then said, finally breaking the two Keybearers from the future out of their trance.

"Yeah, but I had forgotten just how amazing it was back then after I arrived on Destiny Islands," Kairi admitted.

"And every time I came here after my first adventure it wasn't anything like this," Sora then added. "I mean, why do you think that there was a Radiant Garden Restoration Committee in the first place? Well, I guess technically they now call themselves the Radiant Garden Liberation Committee, but you get my point."

Ventus and Aqua both nodded in understanding to the two before Ventus told them, "Well, if we're going to get Terra, then we should head for the palace, and I doubt that they'll let us in without an invitation."

"Don't worry, I know a few guys," Sora reassured Ventus. "They'd all be young men and women right now though, but first, do you guys mind giving us a minute to really look around?"

"I thought you said that we didn't have much time for your plan to work," Aqua pointed out.

"I know, but can we just take a minute for Kairi's sake," Sora then pleaded.

Aqua and Ventus looked between themselves before finally shrugging and turning back to Sora as the former of the two said, "I guess it couldn't hurt, and besides, if the place really is that different from what you're used to, then we probably should let you guys acquaint yourselves better with this time's version of the world."

"Thanks you guys," Sora said gratefully. "So, you ready to see what there is to see, Kairi?"

"Um Sora, Kairi kind of took off on her own already," Ventus admitted sheepishly as he pointed off in the direction that Kairi was heading before she suddenly disappeared down another street. Sora just sighed a bit and then took off after her with Aqua and Ventus right behind him, all while they were hoping that Kairi would be alright until they caught up with her.

* * *

As Kairi continued running down the streets, she could not help but smile and marvel at the sights that surrounded her. It felt as though she were running along a road that was so strange yet so familiar and welcoming to her, like an old home that she had not visited in many years, which technically it was, and as she could not blame herself for the many spins and leaps she made across the street as she looked at her surroundings, feeling her heart leap with joy as she did the whole time, and yet there was still something that was nagging at her in her mind, which was the main reason why she was running down these streets at the moment.

Kairi really could not explain what it was, but she just had a feeling that there was some place down this street that she needed to be right then, almost as though she knew instinctively that something bad would happen if she were not there. She was not entirely sure what the reason for the feeling was, though some would say that it was her instincts as a Princess of Heart that was guiding her. The reasoning behind that did seem rather sound, as Naminé and Yen Sid had both told her on many occasions that as a princess of heart, Kairi was more attuned to sensing darkness than anyone else, and that she should always trust her instincts since they would likely never be wrong in that regard, and as a result, her instincts in many difficult situations had always been correct so far. After a few more minutes of running Kairi quickly found that they were indeed correct once again when she heard someone scream out in fear.

Kairi immediately re-doubled her pace, and as soon as she reached the area that the scream had come from, her eyes instantly widened at the sight that greeted her. There, running away from a swarm of Unversed, was a little girl with short, red hair wearing a white dress with purple lining, and purple and white sandals that she immediately recognized as her past self. When she saw poor Little Kairi get backed into a corner, Kairi immediately summoned her Keyblade and rushed in with a powerful slash, destroying a small number of the Unversed swarm, and clearing a path for her past self. "Go and find a safe place to hide! I'll deal with these monsters," Kairi told her younger self, who immediately nodded with a bright smile in response before doing as she was told.

Once she was certain that Little Kairi was safe, Kairi charged in with Destiny's Embrace shinning in the sunlight as it was swung at the Unversed, slaying every enemy it came into contact with the minute that it connected. When the Unversed tried to change tactics and attack her from behind, Kairi simply spun around on one foot as she held her Keyblade out, and destroyed all the attackers with a series of spinning strikes. She then leapt into the air and fired a barrage of fire and ice spells at some of the Unversed that had tried to hide underground, instantly drawing them out for her to strike down upon landing on the ground, and with that done, Kairi soon noticed that the only enemies left were a small group of Archravens, which she quickly dispatched with a simple Thundara spell, ending the battle in victory for her.

After waiting for a moment in case there were any enemies that she had not dealt with yet, Kairi finally dismissed her Keyblade and then turned to where her younger self was hiding with a bright smile as she called out, "It's okay if you want to come out now! The monsters are all gone."

Little Kairi immediately stepped out from her hiding place behind some large boxes in a nearby alley and returned Kairi's smile as she ran up to her with a cute little laugh, leading Kairi to recall some of her memories from when she was that young. "Thank you for saving me," Little Kairi said as soon as she had reached the older red head.

"You're welcome," Kairi told her as she kneeled down to the little girl's level. "But what were you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I was getting some things from the store for my grandma," Little Kairi replied proudly. "She said that she had forgotten to get some of the things she needed to make dinner tonight, so I told her that I could go and get them for her."

"Oh that's so sweet of you," Kairi cooed as she patted her younger self's shoulder. "Would you mind if I helped you finish that favor for your grandmother in case any more monsters show up?"

"You'd really do that," Little Kairi asked. When Kairi nodded in affirmative, Little Kairi immediately beamed with delight as she said, "Okay, thanks. Oh, my name's Kairi by the way. What's yours?"

Kairi immediately froze for a minute, as she was not entirely sure what to say in response to her younger self, but in the end, she ended up going with the first name that popped into her head and simply replied, "I-I'm Naminé."

 _"_ _Really? You're going to use my name as a cover for you when talking in the presence of or to your past self? I don't know if should feel offended or complimented, Kairi,"_ Naminé's voice suddenly teased in Kairi's head.

 _"_ _Not now Naminé, and cut me some slack, it was the first thing that popped into my head,"_ Kairi thought back. _"It's not like I had a plan for if something like this would happen."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I think you mean 'when' this happened,"_ Naminé corrected as Little Kairi told her future self that it was nice to meet her and then led her into the market place by the hand. _"Let's face it, Kairi. This was bound to happen right from the moment that you found out that you had to go to the Radiant Garden of the past."_

 _"_ _Thank you Miss Know-It-All-Nobody-Who-Doesn't-Know-When-to-Shut-Up,"_ Kairi retorted with heavy sarcasm. _"Now if you don't mind, I'd like to focus on the fact that my younger self is leading me along to the market so she can help our grandmother get the things she needs to make her dinner."_

 _"_ _Alright, alright, Miss Joy-Kill; I'll leave you alone. I hope you and Sora swallow each other during your first make-out session,"_ Naminé then retorted back, getting both the last word in and a mega blush to appear on her other's face before she ceased communication for the moment.

"Are you okay, Naminé," Little Kairi asked when she saw Kairi's blush.

"Um, yeah fine," Kairi replied. "I was just thinking about someone."

"Is it a boy you love," Little Kairi asked innocently.

"Well…kind of," Kairi admitted. "The truth is…I haven't really told him my feelings yet because we've been best friends for years and I'm worried it will ruin our friendship."

"But would it be so bad if he felt the same way," Little Kairi asked. "Maybe you should tell him, and see what he says. He could love you just as much as you love him, and then you'll both live happily ever after like a princess and a knight in shining armor from a fairy tale!"

The irony of both the situation that her past self described and from the fact that she was getting relationship advice from her past self at all was certainly not lost Kairi, but she still had to smile and admit that the little girl who she once was did have a point and was definitely right in what she was saying. If her past self was so sure that she should tell Sora about her feelings despite the fact that she barely knew either one of them then who was Kairi to argue with the little girl, especially when one considers the sweet, innocent little look that Little Kairi was giving her the whole time that she said that? Kairi was so caught up in her thoughts on the matter that she never realized that her past self had finished the errands she needed to run and had now led her back to her house until she was actually in said house.

"Oh Kairi, I hope you found everything that I needed," a kind elderly woman stated as she walked into the room that the two red heads had entered after the came in the door.

"Yep, I sure did Grandma," Little Kairi replied proudly. "And this nice lady helped me, too."

"Oh well thank you both," Kairi's grandmother said in reply with a small bow to both of the girls before she turned to Kairi herself. "And what's your name, dear?"

"Oh, I'm Naminé," Kairi replied. "I ran into Kairi here while I was walking around town and thought she might need some help."

"Well that was quite sweet of you my dear," the old woman told Kairi as she walked over to the younger red haired girl. "Kairi, could you be so kind and take these groceries to the kitchen for me? I just want to speak with your new friend for a minute before I start on dinner."

"Okay," Little Kairi replied. "Could you tell me that story later though?"

"Again dear," Kairi's grandmother chuckled.

"Please?"

"Oh alright, but only if you're a good girl and do what I say, and no trying to listen in," Kairi's grandmother finally relented, getting a happy giggle out of the little girl as she ran into the kitchen with the groceries just as the elderly woman turned to face Kairi.

"Your granddaughter is a very sweet girl," Kairi commented fondly.

"Yes she is, and I'm happy to see that she grows up to be a lovely young woman," Kairi's grandmother then said with a knowing look, immediately causing Kairi to freeze in shock. Before the red haired Princess of Heart could say anything, her grandmother merely chuckled and said, "Oh don't worry, dear, there's no harm in my knowing it's you. Besides, you don't really think that you could fool your own grandmother into thinking you were someone else do you…Kairi?"

Kairi's shock instantly grew to a new level, but after a moment, she shook it off and then wrapped her grandmother in a tight hug as she whispered, "I've missed you so much Grandma." The two held their hug for a few more minutes before Kairi finally let go and dried the happy tears that had fallen from her eyes for a minute as she asked, "How did you know it was me?"

"Two reasons really," Kairi's grandmother replied. "One being that I am your grandmother, and I'd know my own grandchild anywhere, no matter what her age is, especially given that she has such lovely hair and beautiful eyes, and the other reason is that you don't become shopping friends with Merlin the Wizard and not learn a few things."

Kairi could only chuckle in response to her grandmother's claim before she said, "Grandma, could you…"

"You don't even need to ask, Kairi," her grandmother told her. "I won't tell the little one or anyone else anything on the matter, and while I may not know how you are really here, I do know that it is for a good reason, and that you will succeed in whatever task you have undertaken that led you here. Just promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise," Kairi immediately replied happily. "After all, I've got a great person looking out for me, and he's always done everything he can to save me whenever I do get into trouble."

Kairi's grandmother nodded in approval of this and then turned to go back to the kitchen after receiving one last hug from Kairi, letting Kairi get ready to leave herself just as her past self ran up to her. "Are you leaving already," the little girl Kairi once was asked.

"Yeah, I have to," Kairi replied sadly. "My friends need my help right now."

"Okay," Little Kairi said with a cheerful yet somewhat sad tone.

"Oh, Kairi, one last thing," Kairi suddenly said as she knelt down to the little girl. "You may not remember me telling you this, but I want you to know that someday, you'll meet someone very special, a boy your age, who will become a big part of your life. He may sometimes seem a bit lazy and laid-back, but his heart will always be kind and caring for everyone, and he'll become someone that will always be there to save you if you need him to."

"Really," Little Kairi asked. When Kairi nodded, Little Kairi had to ask, "What's his name?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you that," Kairi replied in a slightly teasing tone.

"Awe, please," Little Kairi whined for a minute.

"…Okay, I guess I can give you a hint," Kairi finally relented as she leaned closer to her past self's ear so that she could whisper the hint to her. "Starts with an 'S'."

With that said, Kairi bade her past self one last goodbye, which granted her a happy smile and a small wave in response as she walked out the door and down the street. Just after she had gotten a fair distance from the house, someone suddenly said, "You seem like you had fun."

Kairi nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the person's voice, but when she turned around and saw Sora leaned back against the wall with a goofy grin on his face, she immediately relaxed and just said, "Gimme a break, Sora."

"Sorry, no-can-do Kairi, you lazy bum," Sora then teased the girl. "So how did it feel to meet your past self?"

"It was…kind of fun actually," Kairi admitted. "I actually forgot how sweet and kind I was back then."

"You forgot to mention cute," Sora whispered to himself with a slight tint of pink finding its way to his cheeks.

Kairi did not seem to hear him as she continued to stare down the street towards the house she used to live in until she finally said, "I've really changed a lot since then."

Sora could tell instantly by the look on her face that Kairi did not mean that in a good way, and he immediately went to work getting Kairi to smile again by saying, "You may have changed physically, and sure you may be more experienced and wiser now, but you'll always be that same, sweet, kind, caring, and cute little girl on the inside because it's part of who you are. Besides, now you're even more beautiful than ever too, so that's not a bad thing."

Sora's hands immediately flew to his mouth when he realized that he let that last part slip out, while his face went bright red, hoping that Kairi did not catch it. Unfortunately for Sora, Kairi did, but to his surprise, Kairi just laughed and leaned closer to him as she said, "Thanks Sora. That's really sweet of you."

A minute after telling him that, Kairi leaned a little closer to Sora and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, leading the wielder of the Kingdom Key to drop his hands from his mouth and freeze in shock before he gained a wide, goofy, love-struck grin on his face. "Come on," Kairi then said as she grabbed Sora's hand. "We should catch up with Aqua and Ventus so that we can go and get Terra."

"Yeah, sure," Sora replied in a slight daze, letting Kairi drag him along the street. He did not even lose the look on his face from when Kairi kissed him until they finally met up with Aqua and Ventus and began discussing how they would get into the palace to see Terra and convince him to join their group.

* * *

"Well this was a _real_ great idea," Ventus remarked sarcastically as he and the other three Keybearers were escorted through the castle of Radiant Garden by the same two guards that had barred his way the first time he had been there. After the four had met up again and Kairi had filled Aqua and Ventus in on what she had been doing, Sora led them off to try and find some of their friends from Radiant Garden. In the end, they ran into Lea and Isa, who were both ecstatic at seeing Ventus again, and they immediately agreed to help them get into the castle, claiming that they had a sure fire way of getting them inside. What they did not mention was that the "sure fire way" was a passage that they would normally use to sneak into the castle's guard room, where they had immediately encountered a few guards. It seemed that they were all going to get thrown out, but after Sora and the others summoned their Keyblades in self-defense, the guards had paused for a minute after grabbing Lea and Isa, and then requested that the four Keybearers come with them to see their king. Of course, given the armed escorts that they currently had, none of them felt that it was likely to be a friendly visit. "Really, you couldn't have gotten us into a bigger mess," Ventus then added on with a pointed look at Sora.

"Hey come on," Sora complained. "How was I supposed to know that Lea and Isa normally got caught whenever they snuck into this place, or that we would end up becoming prisoners just because we summoned our Keyblades?"

"Well for one thing, one of the people who helped us sneak in was Lea," Kairi pointed out. "That alone should've been a big clue. Remind me, why didn't we try to find Yuffie again?"

"We didn't have the time," Sora reminded her as he spared a small glance in Aqua's direction. "In case you hadn't noticed, Aqua hasn't exactly had a very long fuse since we got here," he then added in a whisper.

"I heard that," Aqua suddenly said.

"Sorry."

"Silence," the guard holding a lance told them before they came to a stop outside a door at the end of the hallway. The other guard leading them, who carried a tomahawk, knocked on the door a couple of times before hearing someone tell them to come in, and then opened the door to lead the four inside the large, circular room, where a man with long, blonde hair and a beard was sitting behind a desk.

One look at the man behind the desk was all it took for Kairi and Sora to instantly recognize him as Ansem the Wise, an ally of theirs in the future who took on the alias of DiZ for a short time, and they instantly began to worry a bit more about what would happen until Ansem finally said, "Thank you both for bringing them to me. You may leave us now." The minute that the two guards had left the room and closed the door, Ansem looked to the four and smile as he reached into a drawer in his desk and produced a few sticks of ice cream and asked, "Would any of you care for some sea-salt ice cream? It's my personal favorite."

The four looked between themselves for a minute before Sora and Kairi both smiled and accepted Ansem's offer along with two sticks of the ice cream that so many people seemed to enjoy, prompting Aqua and Ventus to accept a couple of bars as well. "It's salty…yet sweet," Ventus commented after he took a small taste.

"Yes, that is one of the reasons why so many enjoy it so much," Ansem chuckled happily. "I'm terribly sorry if my guards gave you the wrong impression, but I assure you, any who wield the Keyblade are more than welcome here."

"How do you know about the Keyblade," Aqua asked in surprise as she paused in eating her ice cream.

"For starters, I happen to be good friends with a young Keyblade Master by the name of King Mickey, though it has been some time since I last heard from him," Ansem admitted. "And it also helps that one of my castle's most recent guests happens to wield one as well. I'm assuming that you are here to see him?"

"Yeah," Sora admitted. "How'd you know?"

"I've spoken with the young man many times, and he has often mentioned two friends of his who seem to match the appearance of these two here, if his description is accurate," Ansem told them as he stood up from his desk and walked around it to them, indicating Aqua and Ventus as he mentioned the last bit. "I have offered to find them for him many times, but he has always insisted that I don't every time, almost as though he is frightened of what might happen should he encounter them again."

"As he should be," Aqua muttered softly, with only Ventus hearing what she said and casting her a concerned look in response.

"Can you take us to him," Sora quickly asked in an attempt to get to Terra before Aqua or Ventus said something they would later regret.

Ansem nodded in affirmative reply and then asked for them to follow him as he lead them out of the room and through the castle, to its lower depths. "I must admit, when he first came here and asked us to lock him up, we were all quite worried about him," Ansem informed the group as they walked lower and lower into the palace. "But despite our concerns, he was very adamant in his desires to be locked away, insisting that he was too dangerous otherwise, so we could nothing more than what he asked us to do. When we tried sealing him in the standard dungeons though, his strange powers seemed to lash out and then they destroyed…"

"The bars on his cell, right," Ventus asked, feeling as though he were expecting that.

"No, half of the dungeon," Ansem replied stoically, causing the four to pause in surprise for a minute before they quickened their pace to catch up with him. "Some were convinced that he was trying to destroy the entire palace from the inside, but when I saw the pained look on his face, I knew that he had been doing his best to hold it back, and that indicated that he had no control over those strange powers. With this new knowledge in mind, my apprentices and I constructed a special holding cell beneath the palace that would contain his powers and prevent them from harming either him or anyone else, and thus minimizing the risks to the palace and all those in it."

It was at this point that Sora and Kairi both noticed that they had entered a corridor that they found to be very similar to the inside of the Castle that Never Was, as the walls were the same shade of grey and white, while having strange black markings that resembled chains running along them which seemed to pulse with a strange energy. Upon further inspection, they noted that the corridor only had two entry points: the one that they had just come through, and another one at the end of the hallway, which seemed to be where the energy pulses were going to, and was sealed off by a door with bars on its single window. Admittedly, the fact that the place was so similar to Xehanort's base of operations in the future alone was enough to make them nervous as it was, and the fact that it seemed to be merely the threshold to a holding cell like the one that Ansem the Wise had described was not helping that nervous feeling at all. Still, they were able to shake that feeling off and steel themselves for the inevitable encounter that was about to come.

The minute they all reached the door, Ansem tapped a control on the right side of the door's frame and inputted a special code that instantly opened it. He then motioned for them to follow him inside slowly, and once they were all inside, Ansem said, "My friend, I do hope you'll forgive the sudden visit, but it seems that you have guests who are quite eager to see you."

At that point, Sora and the others all gave a slight gasp at the only figure in the room, who at first was hunched over on the floor with his back turned to them until Ansem had spoke up. Upon turning around, they all got a better look at him, and saw that he was a young man who seemed to be slightly older than both Aqua and Ventus, with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a disheveled beard, which indicated that he had not shaved in quite some time. Upon standing up, Sora and Kairi saw that the man was obviously taller than Aqua, who was only taller than the other three by a couple of inches, and he was wearing a skintight, black, high-collared shirt that showed off his muscles, tan pants that were dark grey at the top, a set of red intersecting straps on his chest like Aqua and Ventus's, black boots, a set of armor on his left shoulder along with armor on the same arm that was similar to the armor that Sora wore, and a gold colored version of Aqua and Ventus's badge on his belt. If the two Keybearers of the future were to judge by the look in the man's eyes when they finally fell on Aqua and Ventus, then they would be correct to assume that the man was shocked, angry, and slightly frightened at the sight of the two Keybearers from the Land of Departure. Sora and Kairi did not need to look in Aqua's direction to know what her expression was like at the moment, as the dangerous aura they felt coming from that direction was indication enough for them, and they had no clue what Ventus's expression was as that would have required looking past Aqua to see since he was on the other side of the female Keyblade Master.

"Ven, Aqua," the man finally whispered. "What…what are you two doing here? How did you even find me?"

"I was here when I saw you ask them to put you down here," Ventus replied after a minute. He then hesitated for another moment before he finally said, "It's good to see you again, Terra."

For a moment, no one said or did anything more, aside from Ansem who merely moved off to the side so that the group could talk without him standing in between them, until Terra finally looked to the side and stuttered, "I…I mean it's…"

"What's wrong? The darkness in your heart lead you so far astray that you don't know what to say to 'friends' anymore," Aqua finally cut in, her tone barely hiding any of the anger she was clearly feeling. "Or do you just not know how to properly apologize for murdering the man that we all considered to be our father."

"Don't go there, Aqua," Terra hissed.

"Oh I'm sorry, does the truth hurt," Aqua retorted in the same tone as before. "Have you seen what's happened to our home, Terra, because I have ever since you caused all of this to happen."

"I caused this to happen? You think I wanted Master Eraqus to die," Terra demanded. "You think I wanted to so much as fight him?! He raised his Keyblade against Ven, he was trying to destroy him, and I only fought against him so that I could protect my friend, something you seem to have a hard time grasping, _Master_ Aqua!"

"Hey guys calm down," Kairi tried to say, but her pleas fell on deaf ears, as Terra and Aqua continued to go at it.

"Don't talk to me about protecting things," Aqua hissed. "Because of you, so many people have suffered, and a lot of worlds nearly fell into darkness because of your actions!"

"You want to talk about results of things that I did or didn't do," Terra started shouting, never noticing that a dark aura was beginning to build around him. "Well how about we point out the things that happened because of what you led us to do."

"Terra, stop," Ventus then shouted when he noticed the aura that had begun to build up, but Terra still did not listen, and continued to shout at Aqua.

"Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella," Terra listed, earning surprised looks from the four when he mentioned the last one. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice when they suddenly disappeared into darkness?! We were supposed to protect them! We were supposed to guard the light of the worlds! We were supposed to be a team, no a family, and you destroyed that all, Aqua! Xehanort may have been the one to start things off and push it to the breaking point, but you're the one who caused it in the first place!"

"I'm not the one who allowed darkness into their heart just because I didn't pass the Mark of Mastery Exam and got jealous for no reason, nor was I the one who helped a madman murder our father," Aqua shouted, also seeming to be oblivious to the dark aura that was building up around Terra. "If anyone is to blame for the destruction of our bond, it's you Terra! Not me!"

At that point, Terra's aura finally seemed ready to explode, and it did just that, as dark spheres of energy suddenly began shooting out of his body all across the room, forcing everyone else to either make a mad dash to dodge or take cover until it ended. Once it had though, Ventus, Sora, and Kairi heard a distinct clashing of metal on metal and looked up to see that both Terra and Aqua had summoned their respective Keyblades and were now locked in a brutal battle against one and other, though some would argue that it would be more appropriate to say that it was not a battle, but a grudge match that would likely result in one or the other being seriously hurt or worse. A moment after the two were beginning to charge each other again, with their blades pulled back to strike, both of their eyes widened in shock at the sound of someone shouting, "ENOUGH!"

The two were then brought to an immediate halt when their Keyblades were suddenly intercepted by Sora and Kairi, both of whom were clearly pissed off at the way their senior Keyblade wielders were acting. "Get out of my way, Kairi," Aqua ordered. "He deserves this!"

"No! You're going to back off and calm down while Sora deals with both Terra and this little situation the way it should've been dealt with in the first place," Kairi immediately shouted in reply before pushing Aqua back and into Ventus's waiting arms. The minute Ventus had a hold of Aqua, the blue haired woman had immediately began struggling to get free, only to find that her younger friend's grasp was much stronger than one would have expected, and for some reason, she also began to find her face heating up a little when her mind suddenly registered that Ventus seemed to have gained a little more muscle.

The minute he heard Kairi tell off Aqua and Aqua's struggling to get free of Ventus's hold afterward, Sora took that as his cue to push Terra back and then begin to launch an assault of his own with the Kingdom Key swinging. At first, Terra had been put completely on the defensive due to his shock at this strange boy he had never seen before wielding a Keyblade, but after getting over it, he raised his Ends of the Earth Keyblade and tried to fight back with a series of powerful strikes, which Sora nimbly evaded or rolled away from before taking advantage of Terra's moment of disorientation from using such powerful strikes, or the openings that said strikes had left for him to strike back. With both his clear advantage of having caught his opponent off guard and being able to move faster than Terra due to his size and Terra's need to go for more powerful swings and attacks, it was not long after that until Sora had finally knocked Terra onto his back and then held the taller Keybearer down with the Kingdom Key's tip pointed towards him.

"Who are you, and why do you have a Keyblade," Terra gasped in slight, residual anger as he glared up the Keyblade's shaft towards Sora.

"My name is Sora, wielder of the Kingdom Key, and one of two Keyblade Masters of the future who were sent back to the past by Master Yen Sid and King Mickey in order to change the past and save the future," Sora panted with his blue eyes burning with a fire of determination that dared Terra to try and keep fighting.

Terra's eyes widened in shock when he heard that and a quick glance in Kairi's direction immediately told him that the second of the two Keyblade Masters that Sora was talking about was clearly her. Upon reaching that conclusion, Terra dismissed his Keyblade and then simply asked, "Why would a Keyblade Master of the future, let alone two, need me to help them when they've already got the great Master Aqua and Ventus to help them?"

"You willing to calm down and hear us out," Sora asked in reply. "Because it's a long story that you'll need a lot of patience to hear until the end."

Terra glanced between Sora and Kairi and their respective Keyblades for another minute until he finally nodded and agreed to let Sora tell him their tale, his curiosity truly peaked by what he was likely about to hear.

* * *

A short while after Terra's little outburst and the subsequent battle that had followed, Sora and Kairi had finally finished explaining their situation to Terra and why they needed him, Aqua, and Ventus to come back together again so that they could change the future, and needless to say, Terra was stunned by what he had heard. After taking a moment to allow himself to take in the information, Terra finally asked, "So in the end, Xehanort wins?"

"No, he hasn't won yet," Sora immediately retorted. "And he may not ever win if you guys can help us."

"Like that's even remotely possible," Terra argued as he crossed his arms. "In case you hadn't noticed, I can't control the powers of darkness that I now have because of Xehanort's manipulations. I'm just…"

"Terra, if you're about to say that you're too dangerous to be around, let me save you the trouble and tell you that it won't make a difference no matter how many times you say it. Trust me, these guys won't accept it," Ventus interrupted with a small smile as he placed both hands behind his head.

"Even if it is true," Aqua muttered under her breathe.

"You keep quiet," Sora snapped at Aqua with an accusing finger.

"No by all means, let her talk," Terra immediately argued. "It'll just prove my point as to why I shouldn't go with you guys. If you think that the list of people that more than likely hate my guts stops with Aqua, then you're going to be in for a rude awakening. Any chance of our supposedly 'unbreakable connection' being repaired is long gone, and not even a couple of Keyblade Masters from the future can fix it."

"Okay, you need to shut up as well," Sora then snapped at Terra. "Listen, I don't know exactly what happened between you guys, or how things were supposed to work out for you before history had been changed, but I do know that we have a chance to set things right and save the future, not just for the sake of the worlds, but for the sake of the three of you as well. There's always a chance for you guys to make things right between you, because your bond of friendship is still there, and the reason for that is because your hearts are connected. I know you guys can make things right between you, even if you have to go to the ends of the worlds to do it."

"But…the darkness inside of me," Terra tried to argue.

"Can be controlled," Sora immediately finished for him. "A friend of mine nearly had his heart consumed by darkness because he thought he was too weak to help his friends, but he was able to fight it off and then channel it as a weapon of his own. He was so close to being able to master the power of darkness inside of him, and I'm sure he would've too, if it weren't for Xehanort completely poisoning my friend's heart with his own darkness to the point where there did not seem to be even a speck of light left. If my friend, who in this time is just a five or six year old boy could nearly get control of his darkness, then why can't you, a guy who's been training for years to become a Keyblade Master be able to do the same?"

Terra stared at Sora in shock for a minute before he began thinking over Sora's words. As he let them run through his head, Sora went on to point out, "The difference between you and my friend is that my friend was constantly trying to do things on his own, mostly because he had ended up in a situation where he felt like he had no other choice, while you have your friends right here in front of you and showing that they're willing to help you out. Whether or not your successful may not even matter though, because if you don't help us then there really won't be a future for anyone. Please Terra; we need you just as much as you need us."

Terra threw a nervous glance in the direction of Kairi, Ventus, and Aqua, the last of which turned away after glaring at him for a minute, and saw that Sora seemed to be at least partially right in what he said, judging by the kind and confident looks that Kairi and Ventus had in their eyes alone. Upon seeing this, Terra allowed himself a small smile and extended his hand towards Sora as he said, "Alright, I'm in."

Sora smiled and accepted the offered hand in a handshake just as Ventus was coming up to them and saying, "Now this is a bit more like it. We've got the old team back together, a couple of Keyblade Masters from the future, and now Vanitas and Xehanort really don't stand a chance against us."

"Don't forget that Vanitas and Xehanort aren't the only problem," Kairi reminded him just as Sora and Terra were turning around to face the group. "There's still the fact that we'll have to deal with whoever went back in time and changed the past to begin with."

"Either way, we'll stop them no matter what," Terra said confidently.

Aqua looked at Terra a bit hesitantly for a moment before she finally said, "I guess there is something that the two of us can agree on after all."

The two then stared at each other for another minute until Aqua finally extended a hand to Terra, and the taller Keyblade wielder accepted it in a firm handshake as a way of saying that they were both willing to bury the hatchet for the moment. After watching the two finally agree to at least put things aside and work together again for a minute, Sora turned to Ansem the Wise and asked, "Hey, any chance you can keep all this a secret? Mainly the fact that me and my friend are…"

"Not to worry," Ansem reassured Sora with a smile. "As a scientist I am well aware of the dangers that come with certain knowledge, and I know full well when something shouldn't be tampered with. You have my word that what has happened here today will remain between us until my dying breathe."

Sora nodded in thanks and the group then moved to leave both Terra's former holding cell and the castle. "So what do we do now," Terra asked as they neared the main entrance of the castle.

"Well for starters, we should probably think about getting you acquainted with a razor so you can shave that monstrosity off your face," Ventus teased his older brother figure.

"Hey, with a hairstyle like yours I wouldn't be talking about that kind of thing," Terra immediately jabbed back, eliciting a laugh from both Sora and Kairi.

"In all seriousness though, we should probably try to find Mickey before we do anything else," Aqua interrupted, ending the small moment of jokes and teasing.

"Right," Sora agreed. "Let's go ahead and get going, while Kairi and I get in touch with Naminé so she can ask Mickey where we can find his past self."

"Okay, aside from the fact that I don't know who Naminé is, which I think will be explained eventually, I'm just going to go ahead and say that's going to get annoyingly confusing after a while," Terra quipped as he slammed his fist on the gem on his shoulder armor, summoning his brown, red, and gold suit onto his body.

"Hey how do you think Aqua and I feel," Ventus then quipped in reply as he summoned his armor as well. "We've had to deal with it longer than you."

"Excuse me, but I think I've had it worse than either of you seeing as they came to my doorstep first and I had to endure watching them either gaze off into space or shout into the sky whenever they were talking with Naminé," Aqua then told both of the two boys as she summoned her armor and then led her fellow students of Eraqus in summoning their Keyblade Gliders.

"Sora, you get the feeling that we were just made the butt of a joke," Kairi asked as she and Sora both summoned their armors and Keyblade Gliders so that the group could take off into the sky.

"A little bit," Sora replied. "But keep in mind that we can still pull the fact that we're from the future on them and call them a bunch of old timers or fossils whenever we want."

Kairi had to laugh at Sora's little joke, and it was not long until that laughter spread to the entire group and then seemed to echo through the sky as they returned to the Lanes Between to set out for the next destination on their journey.

* * *

Somewhere far from where the five heroes were, Xehanort himself was watching them along with two other figures that were standing in the shadows and Vanitas as the group made to continue their quest to save the future. "Well, this is rather unexpected," Xehanort commented casually in a tone that indicated he was not all that worried. "What do you make of this development, my friends?"

"It doesn't matter what they do," Vanitas commented. "They'll just end up getting toasted one way or the other."

"Why wait to finish them," one of the two figures asked in a deep, baritone voice. "We could easily finish them now when they least expect it, and then we'll have secured everything in our favor."

"We mustn't be too hasty my friend," the second figure said in a voice that was just as deep and yet cool and calculating, as he stepped forward to reveal a person who was wearing Organization XIII robes with the hood up. "After all, while the three are now together again, they were not brought together on their own. They came together as a result of the two new wild cards."

"Ah yes, the two Keybearers of the future," Xehanort commented as his gaze shifted to focus mainly on Sora and Kairi. "From what I had heard from you two, I had honestly expected someone more impressive, and yet they are both mere children who seem to be barely that much older than Ventus."

"They are not the same as the ones we told you about," the first figure corrected. "If you would look closely, you could clearly see that they are obviously from a future that came about as a result of our being here, and with that in mind, they are more than likely a much lesser threat than the ones that the two of us had encountered before."

"Be that as it may," the second figure said as he adopted a thinking pose. "While these two may be from a different timeline than the one we had come to know, the fact remains that they are indeed the Keyblade Hero, Sora and his dear Princess of Heart, Kairi. They should not be underestimated, especially when one considers that it is not entirely known how great of a fighting force the two of them are in comparison to when either of them are working alongside their friend Riku. We should take some precautions to counter whatever may change as a result of their interference."

"I agree my friend," Xehanort said. "We must accelerate our plans and begin searching out other allies, and we should start with powerful allies that would grant us an army that we could use to bring darkness to the worlds even without the Unversed or the Heartless, or even these Nobodies that you have told me about."

"You saying that my power isn't good enough," Vanitas asked, his tone slightly demanding.

"Hardly Vanitas," Xehanort scoffed. "But you have only faced Aqua and Ventus, and while you have never faced Terra you do at least know about him. These two Keybearers of the future are people that we know next to nothing about aside from what our new friends here have told us, and since they come from an alternate timeline to the one that our friends had come from, we cannot even be certain that knowledge will even be accurate."

"Fair enough," Vanitas huffed. "At the very least it'll give me some new guys to mess with along with these two new idiots."

Xehanort then turned to the two figures and said, "Well then, if that's decided, there's a specific world that I want the two of you to go to so that you may recruit our next possible ally. He commands a vast army and great respect from all other forces of darkness in his world, and I believe he will be a great benefit to us."

"Right away," the first figure replied. "But there's really no need to explain your reasoning for approaching this individual to us my friend. After all, we know you better than anyone else ever could."

At that declaration, the two figures vanished into a portal of darkness, and set out to parts unknown so that they could carry out their dark, devious schemes.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 4:**

 **The aid of Roxas proved to be more beneficial than we ever would have believed, as his help allowed us to not only gain a new Keyblade wielder for our cause, but also allowed Sora to awaken earlier than we had originally expected. I only wish we were able to celebrate this good fortune appropriately, but sadly the forces of darkness are proving once again that they never rest, and we now need Sora's power to help us once again.**

 **Organization XIII is now making a more active movement against us, and not only that, but Number XIV, who Roxas has told us is named Xion, has now filled the gap in ranks that Roxas had left. Our only hopes of stopping them are for Sora and Roxas to lead the charge against both the Nobodies and the Heartless. I believe that we should be thankful that Kairi has been training so hard to fight as a Keyblade wielder while Sora was resting and is now ready to join them, for we have seen before just how great our odds increase from having three wielders of the Keyblade standing with the light in the past. I only hope that these three do not meet the same fate as their predecessors, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus ultimately had.**

 **With Mickey and Ansem both working from the shadows to discover the truth about Xehanort's plans, and Donald and Goofy aiding Sora and the others, it has allowed me the time I need to continue training Naminé so that she may become a powerful sorceress one day. I can only hope that whatever we discover about Xehanort's plans, it won't be too late to stop it. I sense that the darkness that he would bring to the worlds growing stronger and stronger with each passing day, and I fear that it may only be a matter of time before it threatens to destroy all that we have worked so hard to keep safe.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Well that was quite a trip. Kairi met her past self, which I made sure to refer to as Little Kairi to prevent confusion as best as I could, Terra and Aqua clashed against each other, we saw Terra still had powers of darkness that appear to be too much for him to handle, Sora gave a big speech, Ansem the Wise is in the know on Sora and Kairi's mission and has promised to keep it secret, and our heroes are off to their next destination. I think that pretty much covers everything we wanted to cover this time, right?_**

 ** _Axel: Yeah that's everything._**

 ** _?: Except for one important thing._**

 ** _AN: What? What do you mean by...hey wait a minute, when'd you even get here Riku?_**

 ** _Riku: Just now, and the thing I'm talking about was the fact that I've had zero to no time at all in this story._**

 ** _AN: What? You have too. I mean you had like..._**

 ** _Riku: A bunch of vague mentions, a mention in a Yen Sid report, and a single appearance in the first chapter!_**

 ** _AN: Look, I'm sorry man, but I just haven't got a good way for you to have that many appearances in the story yet, and it's not like you're going to be going to the past any time soon, or weren't you paying attention to..._**

 ** _Riku: I don't care! JUST GIMMIE SOME SCREEN TIME ALREADY!_**

 ** _AN: [sigh] Dah, Dude throwin a diva tatrum. [hits the button and sends Riku down the trap door again]_**

 ** _Riku: XION'S RIGHT! THIS ISN'T FUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! [splash]_**

 ** _Axel: That's probably going to get real old, real fast._**

 ** _AN: Well, it's all we got for that kind of thing at the moment. Now, if you guys are expecting our heroes to go right to finding Mickey next chapter, think again. This story would be waaaaaay too short if I did that. No, we're going to be doing something else first, as you're about to see after I say, Onto the preview!..._**

 ** _Upon learning of Sora and Kairi successfully bringing the three Keybearers of the past back together, Mickey is all prepared to tell the two where to find him, when something unexpected happens. The first wave of Xehanort's forces attack the Mysterious Tower, but it is not what any of them had been expecting, as instead of Heartless or Nobodies, they are facing a swarm of strange robots and even stranger beings that the heroes of the light had never once seen before, let alone alongside Xehanort's forces. Sensing that something has happened in the past in response to what Sora and Kairi have done, Yen Sid quickly discovers the world these new enemies came from and asks Naminé to send our heroes there to either prevent this new alliance from forming or at least discover some new allies that may be able to help them against these new forces. Just what sort of world will our heroes encounter, and how far will they have to go in order to succeed in the latest task of their mission? The answers to these questions and more, next time._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	5. A Galaxy of Adventure

_**AN: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another chapter of my first Kingdom Hearts story, and I am pleased to announce that we will be having a special guest with us here in the authors notes for the next few chapters or so, but his identity will only be revealed in the ending authors note of this chapter, so let's hear it for our special, mystery guest!**_

 _ **[AN hits control that starts up an audience applause as a silhouetted figure appears on stage]**_

 _ **?: Greetings lyokoMARVELanime and fanfiction readers. It's great to be here. So are we going to give any clues as to who I am?**_

 _ **AN: You mean besides the fact that you're a character who will be making his debut appearance in this story in this chapter? Yes. So start us off my man.**_

 _ **?: Sure thing. Well, I made my first appearance in a Disney animated movie that was released in 1995, and shortly after the sequel to that movie, which premiered in 1999, I made my first appearance in my first ever solo, spin off movie that went further into the world that my character came from, which paved the way for my animated series, in which I starred alongside three other heroes, showing just how great a space hero I truly am.**_

 _ **AN: Well there you have it folks, our mystery space hero guest has just given you his history in the world of Disney, and we'll be seeing more of him later on in the story, and revealing his identity at the ending authors note, so enjoy the adventure for now. [Stops mystery guest when he looks like he's about to say something] As much as we would all love to hear your iconic catchphrase, I'd be a dead give away on your identity, so let's keep it a secret for as long as possible.**_

 _ **[mystery guest nods]**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter V**

Everything was calm in the Mysterious Tower as Mickey and Roxas worked to organize the defenders that had gathered together there, until Naminé suddenly gasped and cried out, "They did it! They've gotten the three previous masters back together again!"

Yen Sid allowed himself a small smile upon hearing this news, but deep down, he knew that it would not likely be that easy. While it was true that Sora and Kairi had likely brought Aqua, Terra, and Ventus back together as a group, it would be much more difficult for the three Keybearers of the past to truly come together once again as a true team, let alone as friends. Still, he was not that greatly worried, because like his former apprentice, Mickey, Yen Sid knew that if anyone had a chance of restoring the bond between the three students of Eraqus, it was Sora and Kairi. Yen Sid then brought himself out of his thoughts as he stated, "Now all that we need to do is find the last one."

"Gosh, I guess that means you fellas need me, right," Mickey's voice said, and the two magic wielders turned to see the mouse king of Disney Castle himself standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.

"How goes the organization of our forces, Mickey," Yen Sid asked.

"It's going swell, Master Yen Sid," Mickey replied with a smile. "Everyone's really eager to do what they can to help Sora and Kairi, and put a stop to both Xehanort and the darkness for good."

"That's wonderful," Naminé sighed. "But hopefully we'll have finished this mission before they arrive."

"Well, I wouldn't hold my breath on that, Naminé," Mickey said sadly before he regained his usual look of cheerful determination and added, "But that's all the more reason why we need to hurry and tell Sora and Kairi where they can find me."

Naminé nodded and then paused to make sure she was able to effectively communicate the information to the two Keyblade wielders, and once she had done so, she turned to Mickey and asked him to tell her the information. Right when Mickey was about to tell Naminé where Sora and Kairi needed to go, however, Roxas suddenly burst into the room and shouted, "Mickey, Master Yen Sid! They're here!"

"Oh no," Mickey exclaimed. "Not now! Tell everyone to do what they can against the Heartless, and we'll be there to join them as soon as…"

"That's part of the problem," Roxas interrupted. "The first wave of the attack force, they're not Heartless, Nobodies, or even Unversed!"

"Whaddya mean, Roxas," Mickey asked.

"Just take a look outside and see for yourself," Roxas exclaimed as he raced over to the window to show them. Mickey and Yen Sid both followed the blonde Nobody, and once they saw what was going on outside, they both gasped in shock at what they saw. Instead of Heartless, Nobodies, or Unversed, the tower seemed to be under attack by an army of strange, yellow robots with upside down triangles for heads. The robot army also included a number of larger red ones that had treads for moving around instead of feet, and leading them appeared to be, not Organization XIII, Riku, or even Xehanort's most trusted allies, but a strange array of villains, most of which seemed rather alien, like they came from the same world as their friend Stitch.

One of the leaders of the robot army appeared to be another robot that had a red head with mismatched eyes and a strangely built body, as it seemed to be made of random parts that came from different machines. Another was a man with yellow skin, five eyes, four arms, and a silver plate on his chest. The third person seemed to have blue skin, brown hair and a beard, and wore a strange yellow outfit with a monocle. The final two consisted of a man with pale blue skin, dark blue hair, who wore a dark purple and red space suit of some kind while having a robotic right arm, while the second of the final two seemed to be more of a machine with yellow teeth, red eyes, and grey horns, who wore a purple and grey outfit with a black cape that was red on the inside and was held in place by a red, circular clasp with a yellow letter "Z" inside the circle.

Needless to say, the sight of these beings making up the first wave of Xehanort's attack force had shocked everyone, but all the same, the defense teams were quick to respond, with Leon and Cloud leading the charge along with the rest of the Radiant Garden Liberation Force. From up in the tower, Mickey could only watch on with Roxas and Yen Sid in wonder before he finally asked, "Gosh, how could this have happened? I mean, has Xehanort always had these guys with him?"

"If he did, I think we would've known about them," Roxas told the mouse king. "I mean, I, myself, would've at least heard a small mention in passing about them during my time in Organization XIII, but I never heard or saw anything to indicate that they were there."

Yen Sid then gasped in what sounded like fear before he quickly summoned the book of Keyblade wielder history, and immediately began leafing through it until he finally found what he was looking for. "I believe the reason why we've never encountered them before, is because we were never originally meant to," Yen Sid then announced.

"Are you saying that history's been changed somehow," Roxas asked. "But I thought that yours and Naminé's spell would prevent anything from changing until Sora and Kairi finished doing what they needed to do in the past."

"We never said that it would be completely perfect, Roxas," Naminé explained. "It was still possible for history to have changed like this, but it would've taken something very drastic happening in the past, or…"

Neither of the two Keybearers in the room liked it when Naminé had suddenly stopped in her explanation, but all the same, Mickey felt that he had to ask, "Or what, Naminé?"

"Or if the one who changed history before found out what we were doing and changed something himself," Naminé finished.

"You mean that, whoever caused history to change originally is still able to cause trouble like this," Roxas asked.

"It would appear so," Yen Sid replied. "Thankfully, we do have a way to counter such actions. The book of Keybearer history changed to accommodate the changes that had taken place in history, and now, we may be able to stop any new alliance from forming or find allies that could assist us in this fight with the help of Sora and Kairi."

"Then I guess having them find me in the past will have to wait for now," Mickey reasoned. "If we don't have them do something soon, then we may not be able to keep Xehanort and his forces back long enough for it to matter." The brave mouse then turned to Naminé and ordered, "Naminé, let Sora and Kairi know that there's been a change in plans, and then tell them of the world that they need to go to in order to help with this situation."

"Okay," Naminé nodded as Mickey ran out of the room. As Roxas was passing her to follow Mickey, Naminé leaned over slightly to give him a small kiss on the cheek and said, "Be careful out there, Roxas."

Roxas smiled and nodded to her, assuring her that he would be fine, and then raced off to catch up with Mickey, just as Naminé had turned to ask Master Yen Sid for the information that they needed to pass along to Sora and Kairi so that they could help them.

* * *

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had taken a slight lead ahead of Sora and Kairi after the group had left Radiant Garden and began traveling through the Lanes Between, and as they flew through the void between worlds, they were beginning to wonder what was taking the two so long to find out where to find Mickey from their friends in the future. "Are you sure that they know what they're doing," Terra asked, clearly still skeptical about their claims to be able to communicate effectively with the people of the future.

"Well they seemed to have so far," Ventus assured his friend.

"So what's taking so long? It can't be that hard to find out where Mickey is," Terra then pointed out.

"Maybe if you showed a little more patience, it wouldn't seem like it was taking a long time," Aqua half growled at him.

"Are you seriously going to say things like that in that kind of tone every time I say something," Terra then asked the lone female of their trio exasperatedly.

Aqua was about to respond when Kairi blasted to a point where she was right between them and cried out in a distressed voice, "Guys, we've got a problem!"

"What's wrong," Aqua asked, immediately slipping into her usual persona of a person that had a clear view of right and wrong.

"We just heard from Naminé that something about history had been changed and altered things in the future, and not for the better," Sora explained as he came up alongside Ventus. "Apparently, there are some new players for Team Xehanort that Mickey and the others had never seen before, and they're attacking Master Yen Sid's tower as the first wave of Xehanort's attack force right now!"

"Why tell us this though," Ventus then asked.

"Because we might be able to stop the alliance between Xehanort and these new guys from being formed or at least find some extra help that can fight back against these guys," Sora replied. "And not only that, but by going to the world that these new forces are from, we might even find the people who changed history to begin with."

"Well then we'd better hurry and get there quick," Terra immediately said as he prepared to accelerate his Keyblade Glider forward at its maximum speed. "Where do we need to go?"

"We should actually be pretty close to the world right now, if Master Yen Sid is right about where it is," Kairi said, and soon enough, they saw the world that they were likely supposed to be headed to coming up into their line of sight. Upon first glance, it seemed like all the other worlds in the basic sense, but upon closer inspection, they could all see that it seemed to be made up of many other smaller worlds with what seemed to be space ships like the one that Terra, Ventus, and Aqua had been on when they traveled to the world of Deep Space, yet the main difference between this world and that one was that it seemed to be divided between a peaceful side and a side that had an evil, red glow to it.

"Is that it," Aqua asked.

"Yep, that's the place," Sora confirmed. "Have you guys ever been to this world before?"

"Nope," Ventus replied as Aqua and Terra both shook their heads in the same negative response. "I mean, it looks kind of similar to a world that I know we've all been to before, but I can tell that it's not the same place. Have you guys been here in the future?"

"No, this place is new to us too," Kairi replied.

"Well, no time like the present to go and see what it's like so we can get on with our mission," Sora then piped in, happily, and with that, he immediately led the way towards the new world at his maximum speed with the others following shortly behind him. As soon as they landed, the sight they were greeted with was a rather overwhelming one to say the least, as the world they found themselves in seemed to be nothing like anything they'd ever seen before on any other world.

Everywhere they looked they saw a vast number of different looking creatures that were all clearly locals of the world, as well as many different types of robots, including a few that looked like vending machines, and the entire world seemed to be made up of towering buildings of all types, and yet it gave off the feeling of a dangerous town that a good, stand-up citizen would not want to be caught in unless they had no other choice, or wanted to end up dead. Even more peculiar was the fact that there seemed to be a number of flying cars and space ships soaring through the air like it was a normal routine. All in all, they all felt like they had just landed in a science fiction movie of some type.

Ventus was so overwhelmed by their surroundings that he ended up taking a few steps back in order to try and take it all in, only to accidentally bump into someone. "Oh sorry about that," Ventus immediately apologized.

"Hey watch it man," the person snapped in reply, drawing the attention of all the Keybearers on to him. Upon seeing this man, they found that the closest thing they could associate his appearance to was that of a rodent, as he had brown skin, a naked tail, pointed ears, and crooked, yellow teeth. He seemed to walk with a slight hunch, and his orange hair was slicked back, giving all of them the impression of someone that could likely be a shady character.

"Hey, he said he was sorry," Sora told the rodent like man.

"Yeah, well he'd better be," the rodent man snarled as he started walking away. "You don't mess with just anyone on Trade World without some kind of payback later on."

"Wait, is there any chance that you could tell us about where we are," Aqua then asked, getting the man to stop.

The rodent man seemed to smirk a little bit as he turned back to the five and replied, "Well, there might be a way that ol' Crumford Lorak can help you folks out, but it'll come at a small price."

"You want us to pay you for some basic information," Terra asked incredulously.

"Hey pal, we've all gotta make a living somehow, and if you want to get anywhere in this galaxy then you've gotta be ready to pay a price," Crumford told the large Keybearer.

"Or you could just give us any information out of the goodness of your heart," a female voice suddenly said, and Crumford seemed to nearly jump out of his skin when he heard it and the sound of jets coming towards them. The rat man tried to make a run for it, but before he could get very far, he slammed right into a large man with red skin and pointed ears, which immediately turned him around to face the woman who had spoken before.

The woman in question had light blue skin and dark blue eyes with orange hair, and was standing alongside a small robot that came up to her waist, had a yellow head and eyes inside of purple lenses, a silver body, arms, and legs, purple hands, and a pair of treads for feet. The one thing that all three had in common was that the man and woman were both wearing what appeared to be white and green space suits with a strangely shaped backpack on the back, and a circular red button on the right side of the suits' chests, while a blue symbol that looked like a planet with wings overlapped by a rocket stood out in the center of the chests, and the same symbol was also in the center of the robot's cylinder-shaped body.

"Hey, my favorite Space Rangers," Crumford stuttered in a fake, enthusiastic voice. "Look, I don't know what you want with me, but I'm telling you whatever it is, I don't know nothing."

"That's what you always say Crumford," the woman said, and the next thing she did shocked all five Keyblade wielders. She reached out and then sunk her head right into Crumford's head.

"AH! Hey, get out of there, will ya? That's my brain and stuff," Crumford cried out.

"Well I hope I don't accidentally get things all scrambled in here," the woman said in a voice of false concern.

"Alright, alright, whatever you want I'll talk! Now can you remove your hand from my brain," Crumford finally relented, leading the blue woman to do as he asked.

"Strange creatures that look like living shadows, terrorizing and attacking innocent people, who's controlling them, and why," the large man then asked.

"Well, I don't know anything specific about them," Crumford replied, his smooth tone returning to his voice until he saw the orange haired woman raise her hand to his head again. "I really don't know what they are! All I know is that a couple of guys are controlling them and made some kind of deal with a lot of the worst of the worst in the galaxy to help them take over the Galactic Alliance. That's all I know, that's it!"

"Well we'll just let you be on your way then," the robot then said, dismissing Crumford at last. "But don't think that we won't find out if you're lying to us or not, because if you are, we'll be back to have another word with you!"

When the five heard what the new arrivals were talking about with Crumford, they immediately huddled together and began whispering among themselves about what they just heard. "You think it's the Unversed," Terra asked.

"Well it couldn't be something else," Aqua pointed out in a knowing tone.

"But he mentioned that there were two people controlling these things, and last I checked only Vanitas could control the Unversed," Sora reminded everyone. "It could be that those two guys are the ones who changed history."

"Maybe, but the information is too vague to make any real conclusions," Kairi pointed out.

"Maybe if we actually saw the monsters they mentioned, we'd know for sure," Ven pointed out.

"So what, we just go looking for these things without knowing whether or not they belong here," Terra asked.

"No, because they've already found us," Ven said as he pointed in the direction of the three alien space beings. The other four immediately spun around and saw that the three were completely surrounded by the Unversed and, much to the surprise of Sora and Kairi, the Heartless, and they were already trying to fight back with what seemed to be laser beams that came from their wrists, or a pair of laser guns in the robot's case.

"Heartless?! Here in the past," Sora exclaimed. "But how?"

"Let's worry about that later," Kairi told her fellow time traveler as she summoned Destiny's Embrace. "Right now, they need our help!"

The other four immediately nodded in agreement and immediately summoned their own Keyblades as they raced forward into the battle. At first the three spacemen tried to convince the five to get away, thinking it was not safe for them, but when they saw the Keybearers destroy both the Heartless and the Unversed with a single strike of their Keyblades, they immediately dropped all arguments and resumed shooting, finding their attacks to be more effective than they were before. Soon enough, the three girls were all working together, while Ventus was fighting alongside the robot, and Terra was fighting with the large, red man, leaving Sora to fight on his own, not that he was complaining that much.

The Heartless and Unversed were quick to try and capitalize on the sudden division of the two teams, but when they made a lunge towards the blue woman, she merely phased through the floor, allowing her attackers to fly over her head and straight into Kairi and Aqua's Keyblades as they swung a pair of powerful swings at them. The blue woman then leapt back up from beneath the floor and fired a series of laser blasts at some of the Unversed, taking out each of the manifestations of negative emotions in a few shots each before any of them had the chance to try and attack Kairi or Aqua from behind. The girls each nodded in thanks to each other in thanks before returning their attention to the battle at hand.

As that was going on, Terra was landing several powerful swings on both Heartless and Unversed alike, just as his large, red partner leapt up and landed on top of several of them, releasing a shockwave after he hit the ground which disoriented the ones that he did not land on top of and destroyed, long enough for Terra to finish them off with a few swings of his Keyblade. Terra then spun around and pointed his Keyblade at the enemies, and unleashed a powerful barrage of dark energy pulses at the remaining creatures of darkness, while the large man fired his wrist laser at the others, eliminating their group just at the same moment that Ventus had done the same along with the robot when Ven used a similar move to the one Terra had used, except with light energy instead of dark.

Things appeared to be going well for the group, until Sora suddenly found himself backed up against a railing, and upon looking over it, he saw that the street they were all standing on, was actually a walkway that appeared to be elevated several feet up in the air. Before he could recover from the shock of this sight, a group of Heartless suddenly jumped him and knocked him over the edge, earning a cry of fear from Kairi. Thinking quickly, Sora immediately tossed his Keyblade in front of him and summoned his Keyblade Glider so that he could land onboard it. As soon as he had, he immediately blasted back up to the others and used the guns mounted on the front of it to fire off a series of fire blasts that were similar to the ones he used whenever he used his fire spells. Sora was about to dismiss his Glider so that he could dive down with his Keyblade in hand and rejoin the fight, when a sudden green, white, and purple blur suddenly flew past him and into the fight in his place.

The blur turned out to be a man that was dressed in the same kind of green and white space suit as the man and woman that were fighting with the others, except for the fact that it seemed to have a strange purple cap over his head, a small set of red, yellow, and blue buttons on the left side of his suit's chest, and the collar seemed to be a bit larger. He appeared to be a well-built human with a large chin, and from where he was, Sora could see that the purple part of the blur came from the purple, red, and white wings that had extended from his suit's backpack, but the strangest thing was that Sora felt like he recognized this man from somewhere.

Sora shook himself out of it when he saw that the arrival of this mystery space man had allowed the others to finish off the last of the Unversed and Heartless, and he immediately flew his Keyblade Glider down so that he could land safely alongside his other friends before dismissing it. As soon as he had, Kairi immediately ran up and hugged him tightly, showing how glad she was that he was alright, and getting a small blush from Sora in response before he finally returned the hug. They did not release each other from their embrace until a small cough came from the direction of the four space people, and they turned to face them along with Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, just as the man who had been the last to arrive walked up and introduced himself. "Hello, citizens, and thank you for your assistance in eliminating these fiendish creatures," the man said as he shook hands with each of them. "I am Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger of Star Command, and leader of Team Lightyear."

"No way! Buzz Lightyear," Sora exclaimed excitedly.

"You know him, Sora," Ven asked.

"Are you kidding? Buzz was my all time favorite space hero as a kid," Sora told him and the others. "I used to play all the Buzz Lightyear video games all the time, and I had the coolest collection of Buzz Lightyear action figures, next to Riku's of course!"

"Oh right," Kairi then gasped in fond remembrance. "I remember when we were all stuck inside on some of our play dates, and you two always seemed to have your favorite Buzz Lightyear action figures every time, while I joined in with my favorite Barbie doll."

Sora immediately nodded in response to Kairi before he finally returned his attention to Buzz and shook the Space Ranger's hand eagerly as he declared, "It is a huge honor to meet you Ranger Lightyear! My name's Sora and can I just say that you were my biggest hero growing up back home!"

"Well I'm flattered to hear that my spiky haired friend," Buzz replied. "And who are your fellow Keyblade wielders, Sora?"

"You know about the Keyblade," Aqua exclaimed.

"Every Ranger learns about the Keyblade and its wielders upon graduating the Space Ranger Academy, ma'am," Buzz explained. "Until then, it's classified information."

The Keyblade wielders all nodded to each other in acceptance of that before they all introduced themselves to Buzz, leading him to introduce the other members of his team. "My name is Mira Nova," the woman said as she gave a small salute to the group.

"Booster Munchapper, at your service folks," the large, red fellow exclaimed in childlike excitement.

"And I'm XR, and let me just say, it is a great pleasure to meet you all, especially such lovely ladies like the two of you," the robot said as he seemed to start flirting with Aqua and Kairi.

"Uh…nice to meet you XR," Kairi said politely, as she and Aqua both started blushing a bit from the robot's flirting, which earned XR a mild glare from Sora.

"Any chance you can tell us what those things were," Buzz asked. "We've never seen anything like them in the entire galaxy."

"They're creatures called Unversed," Ven began to explain. "At least, the purple ones were. Their kind of a manifestation of negative emotions, and they were named as such because they're known as 'those who are not well-versed in their own existence'. Our Keyblades are the only things that stand a real chance of destroying them. As for the black creatures…"

"They're the Heartless," Sora explained. "Beings that are born from the darkness in people's hearts. They're a lot like animals, acting only on instinct to find and swallow the hearts of others and turning them into Heartless as well, and they're not supposed to be here."

"Yeah, yeah, we kinda gathered as much," Mira muttered in response. "But uh, small problem with the whole, Keyblade being the only thing that can destroy them bit. Our lasers were able to harm them just as much."

"Only after we joined the fight," Sora clarified. "The main reason why you're weapons were only effective at that point was because we were fighting alongside you, but now that you've had a bit of an encounter with a Keybearer or two, your weapons should be more effective against them no matter what."

"So…why are they here," Booster then asked.

"Someone brought them here," Aqua answered. "And we think that they might be the people that Crumford was talking about before when he said that two people had formed an alliance with some of your world's worst criminals."

"Of course, this can only mean one thing," Buzz then exclaimed.

"Here he goes," XR moaned.

"Such a diabolic plot could only be the work of the sworn enemy of the Galactic Alliance: Evil Emperor Zurg," Buzz snarled.

At this declaration, Terra leaned over to Sora and whispered, "Who's Zurg?"

"He's Buzz's archenemy," Sora replied. "They've been fighting against each other for years, and Zurg has always found some way to try and take over or destroy the galaxy or Buzz himself, but he's never won because Buzz was always there to stop him."

"Buzz," Booster suddenly exclaimed. "I just got word from Star Command saying that those Heartless and Unversed things have appeared all over the galaxy."

"What're their locations, Ranger," Buzz demanded.

"Some are still here on Trade World, and the others seem to be on my and Mira's homeworlds," Booster gasped. "And according to the LGMs, a lot of them seem to be coming from Planet Z!"

"Ah craters," Buzz cursed. "Zurg knows we can't stop them all at once, so he's trying to split us up and make us more vulnerable."

Upon hearing this, Sora immediately walked up to Buzz and stood at attention as he declared, "Space Ranger Cadets Sora, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus reporting for duty Ranger Lightyear, sir!"

"Wait, what," the other four exclaimed in response to Sora's sudden declaration.

"Guys, how else are we going to get to the bottom of this and stop those things," Sora reasoned. He then glanced back to the Rangers and pointed out in a whisper, "Besides, if we help them, then they might be of some help to us in the future as well, and that'll give Mickey and the others the reinforcements they need."

The four looked between themselves for a minute before they finally nodded in agreement, showing that they were in, which lead Buzz to smirk with pride in thanks before he turned to his team and started giving out assignments. "Alright, XR, you stay here on Trade World and finish up with things here. Booster, take Star Cruiser Forty Two to Jo-Ad. Mira, take the Alpha One to Tangea; it's still aboard the ship, so it should be good to go. I'll take the shuttle to Planet Z," Buzz ordered, receiving a salute from each Ranger in response.

Upon hearing this, Aqua turned to her own team and began saying, "Alright, Ventus, you go to Jo-Ad with Booster while Terra and I stay here on Trade World with…"

"Hold on! Who said you were going to tell us where to go," Terra demanded. "And what makes you think that I'd want to stay anywhere near you, Miss I-Don't-Trust-Terra?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you wanted someone to make sure you didn't succumb to darkness and go crazy again," Aqua retorted.

"Stop it, both of you," Sora interrupted. "Look, here's how it'll work: Terra and Ven will go to Jo-Ad with Booster, Aqua's with Mira, Kairi will stay here with XR, and I'll go with Buzz. Everyone happy with that?"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Sora's decision, some a bit begrudgingly and immediately moved to their assigned partners. Before she left Sora's side, Kairi leaned closer to him and whispered, "You just wanted to team-up with Buzz on your own, didn't you?"

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about, Kairi," Sora replied in an all-too-innocent tone. Just as he was passing XR though, he whispered to the robot, "Keep your eyes and hands to yourself, tin toy. She's my girl."

XR just raised his hands in surrender, being a robot who knew better than to try and flirt with someone else's love interest, and rolled over to Kairi just as the other Keybearers were summoning their armor and Keyblade Gliders, while the other three Space Rangers activated their jetpacks and helmets before blasting off into space, and directly onto a large, white space ship with a green line around the sides of the ship, and four purple wings. A minute later, the rocket's engines fired, and it blasted away to its destination just as a small, red and yellow ship blasted out of it in another direction, and another small shuttle with wings like those of the Space Rangers' jetpacks blasted off the top of the Star Cruiser in a third direction.

As the three ships all headed off towards their destinations, one cry could be heard from the shuttle from two voices. "To Infinity…" Sora began, excitedly, earning a smirk in response from Buzz as he finished.

"…And Beyond!"

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 5:**

 **In their recent visit to Hollow Bastion, which has now regained its old name as Radiant Garden, Sora, Kairi, and Roxas discovered a young man by the name of Lea, who was able wield a Keyblade of his own. This has led me to believe that there are others out there who are capable of wielding the Keyblade as well, or at the very least, are capable of wielding a similar weapon of equal power. Upon realizing that this belief was true, I asked for Sora and Kairi to quickly find all the others who likely are able to wield these powerful weapons while Roxas assists me in training Lea in how to use the Keyblade. While none of them are able to utilize the same abilities that were used by Earqus's apprentices, such as the Shot Locks and Command Styles, they are each more than capable of these tasks, and that is a fact that I am most grateful for.**

 **However, we are not the only ones who have made this discovery, as our enemies have discovered this as well, and are already moving to intercept us before we reach them. So far, Organization XIII has eliminated two others who would have proven to be powerful allies to us, but it seems that the fall of these two served to strengthen the Organization, as the two had turned out to be the originals of two artificial Nobodies, namely the originals of Larxene and Luxord. It really brings me to wonder just how many of the originals of these artificial Nobodies are like that, but only time will tell, as will the efforts of Sora and Kairi, assuming that they are not too late to save these other potential allies from falling to darkness.**

* * *

 ** _AN: And there you have it! If you seriously thought I was going to send Sora and the others straight off to find Mickey, then you don't know Kingdom Hearts that well. There's always a few other worlds to visit first along the way, and there wouldn't be much of story otherwise if I didn't do this, and speaking of such, for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, our mystery guest is none other than, the hero of the Galactic Alliance, the Space Ranger extraordinaire, give it up for...BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!_**

 ** _[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command theme music plays as the silhouette disappears to reveal Buzz himself to the applauding audience]_**

 ** _Buzz: Now that's how you make an entrance, and let me just say it's great to be here lyokoMARVEL._**

 ** _AN: Glad to have you, Buzz, and can I just say, huge fan growing up. Seriously, your show was like the first superhero cartoon I ever watched as a kid._**

 ** _Buzz: Well thanks, I'm glad to hear it. Now about that little bit at the beginning in the future?_**

 ** _AN: Yes, well I needed to give Sora and the others a good reason to stop off at your world before finding Mickey, so naturally having Zurg's forces suddenly appear alongside Xehanort's was the best way, and in case you hadn't noticed, I also gave a vague description that should give you all an idea on who Sora and the others will face in their travels across the Galactic Alliance in the past, in terms of villains from that world._**

 ** _Buzz: Speaking of my world..._**

 ** _AN: Right, well, the way I see it, to really incorporate the world of your show into this story, I needed for all the planets in that galaxy to be a part of it, so the world in general will be referred to as the Galactic Alliance, not Deep Space, because that's where Stitch is originally from. Any other questions?_**

 ** _Buzz: I'd say that covers it._**

 ** _AN: Alrighty then, Onto the preview!..._**

 ** _Terra, Ventus, and Booster arrive on the farmer planet of Jo-Ad, and the three are quick to get to work when they discover Heartless and Unversed attacking Booster's family, and their farm. Upon further inspection, they find that the four-armed criminal Torque is the one in command of the Heartless and Unversed on Jo-Ad, leading to a major shoot out between the two sides. Can these three brave heroes defeat the four armed, duplicator, or will Torque's abilities as a one man army overwhelm them completely? Find out next time!_**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon! Or as my man, Buzz here would say..._**

 ** _AN &Buzz: To Infinity...and Beyond!_**


	6. Farm Planet Battles and Beliefs

_**AN: Calling Buzz Lightyear and the wielders of the Keyblade! The galaxies greatest heroes!**_

 _ **Skilled, courageous, and ever vigilant.**_

 _ **Leaping into action, Buzz Lightyear and the Keybearers hurtle to the rescue!**_

 _ **Their ongoing mission, to protect the galaxy from the dark forces of evil.**_

 _ **These are the adventures of...**_

 ** _Keybearers of Star Command!_**

 ** _Buzz: HEY! I don't have a problem with you having my show in this story, but I'd rather you not mess with that show's intro, thank you._**

 ** _AN: Hehe, sorry. Couldn't resist._**

 ** _Buzz: Well I suppose that is understandable. The show's opening was pretty good, and I can't wait to get to the story and show everyone just how a Space Ranger deals with..._**

 ** _AN: Uh Buzz, you're not actually in this chapter._**

 ** _Buzz: I...I'm not?_**

 ** _AN: No, see you're with Sora, and you guys are going to Planet Z remember, which is basically where the big final round for this world's part in the story will take place, so we've got to let the others shine first remember?_**

 ** _Buzz: Oh...right. My mistake, but I can see that good ol' Booster is more than ready for action this time around, and I'm sure that Terra and Ventus will be right at home on Jo-Ad. They seem like the kind of guys who would enjoy the peaceful life that Booster's home planet would give someone._**

 ** _AN: Well with all that said, onto the story. If you would do the honors, Buzz._**

 ** _Buzz: My pleasure. To Infinity...and Beyond!_**

 ** _lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned or used in this story._**

* * *

 **Chapter VI**

As Star Cruiser Forty Two raced through the stars, Terra found he could not help allowing a small smile to grace his face as he listened to Ven practically jump for joy like a kid in a candy store over the fact that they were actually flying in a space ship. The younger Keybearer had been doing so for quite a few hours now, and while it was mildly entertaining and nostalgic for Terra, it was also beginning to get a bit annoying as there was one thing that the blonde had seemed to have forgotten, at least from Terra's perspective. "Ven, you fly around on a Keyblade Glider all the time," Terra finally pointed out after Ven had jumped happily in his seat once again over the fact that they were flying in a space ship.

"Well yeah, but this is completely different," Ven argued with his friend, his face still holding a large grin even as he did. "I mean, we're not just flying in a space ship, we're literally _flying_ the ship ourselves!"

"Uh, technically, I'm flying the ship, Ven," Booster corrected. "You're sitting at what's really my usual post."

"Yeah, and besides, it's not like you haven't been on a space ship before," Terra then reminded Ven.

"I know, but that time I was kind of fighting for my life, and I didn't really get all that much time to really enjoy it," Ven told Terra. "You know, cause I was fighting giant Unversed and a large, fish man along with that four-armed, blue fluffy guy with a homemade Wayfinder."

"Wait, do you mean 626," Terra asked.

"Yeah, him," Ven replied. "You know for someone that was supposed to be a 'dangerous abomination' he's actually a really nice guy when he's not mad or trying to tear a bad guy apart."

Terra had to let out another smile at that comment, knowing that Ventus was right in that regard, but he quickly brought himself out of his musings when he noticed Booster seemed to be fidgeting in his seat a little. "You okay there, Booster," Terra then asked.

"Yeah, I'm just really excited," Booster replied. "I mean, Buzz is actually counting on me to keep my home safe all on my own. I mean, not all on my own, cause you guys are with me, but on my own as in as the only Space Ranger. This is so exciting!"

"You really seem to enjoy doing what you do Booster," Ven observed.

"Well yeah. I'm living my dream so why wouldn't I enjoy it?"

"You're dream," both Keybearers asked.

"Yeah, my dream of being a Space Ranger," Booster explained. "Ever since I was a kid, growing up on Jo-Ad, all I ever wanted to do was one day leave home and join the Space Rangers at Star Command. The day I finally got a chance to do that eventually came when Zurg invaded my home with a new, giant Hornet, and then started destroying anything in sight. Eventually, he even had his robot capture me, but just then, Buzz swooped in and saved me from Zurg's clutches, and together, we destroyed Zurg's massive Hornet, and saved my home. That had to be one of the coolest days of my life! Not only did I get to meet my hero, Buzz Lightyear, but I also helped him save my home from Evil Emperor Zurg, himself. After that, Buzz was able to get me a job on Star Command's janitorial staff so that I could work on the station while studying up for the Space Ranger Academy Entrance Exam. Of course, I ended up being made a Ranger after helping Buzz to stop one of Zurg's most diabolical schemes ever, but I still do my best to follow all Ranger regulations to the letter as outlined in the Space Ranger Manual."

"That's so cool," Ven breathed upon hearing Booster's story. "You must've been really scared though during those times when you had to help Buzz."

"Well yeah, but I never once doubted that I could make it as a Ranger, and Buzz always believed in me, no matter what happened. Even when it seemed like no one else thought I could do it, Buzz has always had faith in me, and so has the rest of the team, not just because they're my teammates, but also because they're my friends," Booster then said proudly.

When he heard Booster say that, Terra glanced down for a minute in thought so that he could process his words. Admittedly, he and Booster were a lot alike in some senses. They both had big dreams, and they both wanted them to come true more than anything, but the one thing that really got Terra's attention was when the large Ranger mentioned that his friends always believed in him no matter what. At one point in his life, Terra would have easily said that he had no doubt that his friends also believed in him, but after everything that had happened, and given how things currently stood between him and Aqua, Terra could not help but admit that he was not entirely sure if that was true anymore.

Terra then threw a small glance back to his Ven, remembering all that happened between them since that day when they first left their home as he did, and he soon recalled the look in the blonde's eyes when they met for the first time in so long back in Radiant Garden. It was not exactly fear or disappointment, but Terra was still not entirely sure that it was belief either. Feeling that he should at least try to put some of his doubts to rest, he looked to Ven and softly called out, "Hey Ven…"

"What's up, Terra," Ven asked, immediately wondering what his friend suddenly wanted.

Before Terra could say anything, Booster announced that they had arrived at Jo-Ad, and the two boys immediately took the time that Booster was using to land the Star Cruiser in order to get a good look at the Jo-Adian's home planet. From the first glance, they immediately spotted the fact that Jo-Ad had two suns, and beyond that, they also saw that the entire planet seemed to be made up of large crops and farms. The sight of so many farmers confirmed for them that Booster's home was basically the home of most, if not all farmers in the Galactic Alliance, and from what they could tell, it also seemed like quite a peaceful, lovely place to grow up. That idea brought smiles of fondness to both Keybearers faces, but those smiles immediately vanished when they saw something that was completely out of place on the farm planet. "The Unversed and Heartless," Ven shouted when he saw a large group of the dark monsters surrounding a couple on the front of their house.

Booster immediately spun to face the direction his two friends were facing, and upon seeing what they saw, he immediately gasped and exclaimed, "Hey, that's my parents and our farm!"

"Then let's get down there, fast," Terra exclaimed, and he jumped out of his seat and headed for the door as fast as he could the minute he felt the ship tremble a little upon landing. Ven and Booster were both right behind him, with the latter only stopping for a minute to pick up a white and green ray gun of some type on his way out.

* * *

The minute the three were on the ground and close enough to see Booster's family farm, they could instantly see who Terra and Ven assumed to be either Booster's parents or relatives seeming like they were trying to fight back, the male wearing a make-shift Space Ranger suit while the woman was dressed in a sort of farmer clothing, each holding a farming tool of some type. Booster was the first to react, as he fired the blaster he had grabbed on the way out at a Heartless that had jumped at the woman when she was not looking, and he then followed up with a few more rounds at the ones that had stopped moving after his first shot destroyed the one that had attacked.

The Unversed then brought their attention to the three new arrivals, and upon seeing that the creatures were heading towards them, Terra and Ven instantly summoned their Keyblades and unleashed a flurry of swings at each one that was foolish enough to get close. Terra himself had elected to go after the larger opponents like the Wild Bruisers and the average variety of Bruisers, along with a few Large Body Heartless as well, while Ven focused his efforts on the Shoegazers, Scrappers, and Thornbite Unversed, along with some Neo Shadow Heartless, leaving Booster to either blast or jump on top of the Floods and Shadows. Needless to say, the last of the three probably had it easiest given that he was taking on the weakest variety of Unversed and Heartless, but in all honesty, Terra and Ventus wanted to try and keep it like that for the moment since Booster did not normally deal with either one of the two creatures.

That proved to be a bit more difficult when a Large Body and a Bruiser somehow slipped past Terra and tried to attack the Jo-Adian Space Ranger, but Booster was quick to react, and he simply caught the Bruiser in a hold as soon as the purple monster was close enough, and then used all his strength to spin the Unversed around before throwing it right into the still approaching Large Body, sending both monsters towards a waiting Ven, who delivered the final blow with a swipe from his Keyblade. Ven then glanced over to Booster and threw the big guy a thumbs-up in congratulations, which Booster immediately returned in thanks before they brought their attention back to the matter at hand to deal with the remaining attackers.

Terra smirked with pride at the two's combined efforts, but he knew that they needed to end this quickly before anyone got hurt, so he began to unleash a barrage of powerful attacks from his Keyblade, before finally shunting a building energy into it, causing a faint glow to appear around him. When he felt the power reach its maximum, Terra called out for Ven and Booster to stand back and then leapt into the air, with his Keyblade reeled back, energy charging up in the weapon as he did, and he then brought down as hard as he could upon his descent. The minute the Keyblade struck the ground, a large shockwave was released that wiped out nearly all the remaining Heartless and Unversed, leaving the ones who survived to be finished off by Ven and Booster.

After taking a moment to confirm that everything was all clear for the moment, Booster holstered the weapon he had acquired from the ship and ran over to Terra as he exclaimed, "That was so cool, what you did at the end there! What the heck was that anyways?"

"It was a Command Style," Terra replied. "My personal Tier One style, to be exact. It's called Critical Impact."

"Oh," Booster gasped in mild understanding, but that quickly turned to confusion once again before he asked, "What's a Command Style?"

"They're basically a powerful ability that Keyblade Wielders posses which grants us a temporary boost in strength and abilities in certain areas of fighting," Ven explained. "But they each require you to use a specific ability a certain number of times in order to be activated."

"Oh, I get it now," Booster then stated, clearly showing that he really did mean it this time. He looked like he was about to ask something else, when his attention was diverted by the woman that they just helped save running up to wrap him in a hug.

"Oh Boosty, my brave, little baby, I'm so glad you're here," the woman cried happily. "You came to save us like the good little boy you are!"

"Ma," Booster whined. "Not in front of my friends."

"Say, where's Buzz and the rest of your team, Boost," the man then asked as soon as Booster's mom let him go.

"It's a long story, but basically, those monsters we just blasted are all over the galaxy, so we had to split up in order to stop them," Booster explained. He then gestured over to Terra and Ven as he added, "Thankfully, we ran into some new friends to help us out. These guys and their pals know all about those monsters we were just fighting so they offered to lend a hand."

"Well that's awfully nice of you boys," Mister Munchapper stated as he exchanged handshakes with both Keybearers, which caused them both to groan in slight pain due to the strong grip Booster's father had. "So what're your names?"

"My name's Terra," the older of the two boys replied as he clenched his hand a bit to get some feeling back into it.

"And I'm Ventus, but call me Ven," the blonde then stated as he shook his own aching hand a little.

"Nice to meet you both, boys," Mrs. Munchapper said happily. "Care for some homemade Bunzel Dumplings as thanks?"

"Sorry Ma, but as much as we'd love to, we've got to make sure there aren't any more Unversed and Heartless around first," Booster politely declined, although both Terra and Ven could see how reluctant their newest friend was. They could only take that to mean that the treat his mother had mentioned must have been one of his favorites. "Any idea where they were all coming from?"

"Well, Baxter did say that he saw some strange creatures hanging around the entrance to the irrigation tunnels, and even though we thought it was nothing, it turned out to be more of those things that you boys just got rid of just now," the Ranger's father said after a minute of thinking. "When they came up here, we sent Baxter off to try and send out a call for help to Star Command while we kept them busy."

"Where is he now," Ven asked.

"He said that he sent the message and then ran off to the irrigation tunnels saying he was going to hit them at the source or something," Mrs. Munchapper replied.

"Well then we should get over there and try to help," Terra decided. "Lead the way, Booster."

Booster nodded eagerly and then led the group to the place that his parents had indicated after telling his parents to stay inside the farmhouse while they dealt with the problem. When they reached the hole that led to the underground tunnels, he immediately jumped in and slid down with Terra and Ventus following soon after, until they were deep within the massive, dark underground maze of tunnels that provided water for the crops on Jo-Ad. They soon found that Baxter was right in saying that the creatures of darkness were in the underground tunnels, as they had to fight off a number of both Unversed and Heartless every now and again, but they still saw no sign of whoever or whatever was likely to be controlling them for some time.

Thinking they were not likely to get a break any time soon, they began to wonder if they were just going in circles after a while until the sound of soft moaning reached their ears, and they all ran towards the source to find another Jo-Adian lying up against the wall with tears in his clothes and a few bruises on his skin. "Baxter," Booster exclaimed. "Hey buddy, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

The now identified Baxter seemed to stir for a moment until he looked up at Booster and smiled before he moaned, "Booster, am I glad to see you. Is your whole team here?"

"Sorry Baxter, it's just me and these two guys here," Booster told his old friend.

"Better than nothing," Baxter stated as he tried to stand up, only to grunt in pain before he fell back against the wall. Booster moved to try and help his friend, but Baxter just waved him off and said "Don't worry about me. Just get the guy responsible for this."

"And who's that," Ven asked.

"I'm not sure," Baxter admitted. "But I did get a bit of a good look at him. He had yellow skin, five eyes, four arms, and he wore a red jumpsuit under a brown coat."

"Did he have a metal plate on his chest," Booster asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Baxter admitted. "He even seemed to somehow make more of himself when he hit that plate, and that's how they got me. I never even got a chance to fight back."

"Torque," Booster identified with a snarl. "Don't worry pal, we'll get him and I'll be sure to land a good hit on him for you. You just try to rest up and we'll be back for you as soon as we can."

Baxter nodded to Booster in thanks and then fell back against the wall and falling asleep after he pointed out which direction that the team needed to go in, leaving Terra and Ven to follow after Booster, all the while wondering what Booster's exact history was with this Torque person that Booster had just mentioned. Before they went very far though, Terra turned back to Baxter and asked, "One last thing. Was that guy with an old man who was bald, had yellow colored eyes, and wearing a black coat with a white shirt?"

"I don't know," Baxter admitted. "I think there was someone else with him, but I couldn't really see much of him 'cause he kept his hood up for some reason. It's kinda weird that he would wear such a warm looking coat on Jo-Ad though, even if he was down here."

Terra ran that information through his head for a minute, hoping to think of someone that Xehanort had met who met that description, but upon when he ended up being unable to think of anyone, he just shook his head and thanked Baxter for the information before moving to follow after Ven and Booster.

* * *

Ven had just sliced through another Heartless that had tried to ambush them as they continued to make their way through the tunnels, when he turned to see Booster still had a scowl on his face that had been present ever since he found out about the fact this "Torque" person was the one commanding the Heartless and possibly even the Unversed here on Jo-Ad. He knew that Terra had noticed this as well, so it was no surprise that he already figured that Terra was also thinking that there was some sort of history between Booster and Torque, but neither of them wanted to press Booster on the matter right away, so they left the matter alone for the moment and just kept moving, striking down any Heartless or Unversed they encountered along the way as they did.

At this point though, Ven could not really take the suspense of not knowing any longer, since Booster had not once seemed like he was going back to what seemed to be his usual self anytime soon, so the blonde walked up the Jo-Adian and asked, "So what's the story with this guy, Torque anyway? You know, aside from the fact that he can duplicate himself."

"Torque was one of the first guys I brought in from Trade World, and he didn't exactly want to come along quietly," Booster informed Ven, with both the blonde and Terra hanging on every word. "Normally he's focused mostly on Buzz, but when it comes to any other Space Ranger, he wouldn't bother giving them the time of day as he only sees Buzz as the only real challenge. Even before he went through the operation that gave him his duplicating powers, Torque's always been scum, wanted for crimes of carrying illegal weapons and dealing in stolen or illegal tech, mostly for the thrill of it."

"So why are you so upset about all this," Terra asked. "Is it because you feel like he should recognize you as his main threat since you were the one to first try and bring him in or something?"

"No its nothing like that," Booster admitted. "I've never really had a real problem with Torque beyond the obvious, but when you go and mess with my home, you cross the line, and Torque has definitely crossed it."

Terra and Ven both understood why Booster was so worked up now, as they both shared similar feelings towards Xehanort in regards to what the fallen Keyblade Master had done to their home and father figure. The fact that Xehanort had destroyed so much of their lives mattered little to them when they thought about what had befallen the Land of Departure and how they could never go back to it or what it once was so long ago. Knowing this, they could easily understand why Booster would be so upset with anyone threatening his home in the way that Torque currently was, and so they became even more determined than ever to help Booster bring down the person responsible for the trouble that his planet was currently facing.

They were all soon brought out of their musings when they heard someone's voice ringing out from around the corner, and they immediately ceased all conversation and took cover behind the wall so that they could listen in for a minute. "Hey these little spookies are really workin' out Emperor Z," a voice that Booster immediately identified as Torque's said into a communicator. "They ran into a couple of problemos with the farm boys, but I doubt it'll make much difference for too long."

 _"_ _See to it that it doesn't,"_ a mechanical sounding voice that Terra and Ven assumed to be Zurg's then stated. _"Everything with our new benefactor's alliance is relying on how well this operation pans out, and I will not risk losing my chances for ruling the galaxy and all other galaxies beyond this one over a few simple farmers!"_

"Dynomite dig baby," Torque stated in reply. "I'll be runnin' the whole show down here before the next hoedown can even roll into town."

 _"_ _Well I'll hold you to that then,"_ Zurg then stated. _"Oh and perhaps you could get some Bunzel treats on your way back, I've actually had a small craving for a few lately. They always seem to go stale when the market delivers them here."_

"Sure thing. You just leave it to me sweetheart. Torque out," the four-armed criminal then said as he closed the communication. The three heroes then snuck a small peak around the corner to see Torque and three copies of himself addressing the Heartless and Unversed as the original said, "Alright you spookies, I know I've said this once, but this time I mean it. Get up there and terrorize to your little dark hearts' content, and if you see any sign of old Buzzie or his little palies, knock 'em dead."

"You'll find that a lot harder than you think, punk," Terra shouted as he dashed into the cavern with Ends of the Earth summoned to his hand and Ven and Booster following seconds later with their own weapons ready.

"Torque, by the authority of Star Command, you are under arrest," Booster declared. "Drop your weapons, destroy your duplicates, tell your Unversed and Heartless to stand down, and give yourself up or this will have to get ugly."

"Awe, isn't that cute, boys," Torque asked his duplicates when he saw the three. "Jumbo here thinks he and a couple of boys with oversized lock picks can beat us." All the Torques laughed at that little moment of mocking before the original suddenly used one set of hands to whip out a pair of blasters while using his second set to tap the plate on his chest to summon more duplicates as he said, "Put some holes in 'em."

That was the moment when all hell broke loose, as Booster immediately charged in despite the fact that all the Torques were firing their blaster at him, and then pulled a tuck-and-roll move that destroyed a number of Heartless, Unversed, and some of the duplicates. Coming out of the roll, Booster had pulled out his blaster once again and fired a few rounds while making sure to avoid hitting Terra and Ven as the two charged in as well with their Keyblades swinging. Torque himself was a bit caught off guard by how the two Keyblade wielders seemed to destroy the Heartless and Unversed so easily, but he was quick to shake it off and order for more to spawn forth and swarm them as he did the same with his duplicates, forcing the three to split up who they were each fighting.

Ven himself ended up taking on the Unversed, and needless to say, he could not help but feel that it was rather ironic given how the creatures were created by Vanitas. Even so, he did not let it deter him from what he needed to do, and he immediately began slashing through the purple creatures with everything he had. Eventually, Ven began to attack faster and faster, until one could see a faint glow forming around him, indicating that he was using one of his Command Styles, specifically his Fever Pitch Command Style, and with the added boost that this particular style granted him, Ven was able to tear through many of his opponents with easy before unleashing a flurry of strikes at a large group to round it out. When he saw that a group was about to try and jump him, Ven simply used an Aero Spell to send them flying into the air, allowing him to either jump up and slash through each of them, or toss his Keyblade at the others like a powerful boomerang, ending many of them with ease. At a quick glance, he could see that he was not the only one who seemed to be doing well with his battle.

Terra was also holding his own rather well when he found himself facing off against the Heartless on his own, but he was certainly not complaining, as he found the shadowy creatures of darkness fairly easy opponents to handle. They were not normally all that fast, and that allowed him to unleash many powerful strikes against them without worrying about them exploiting any openings that his attacks possibly would've left for them to exploit. Eventually, he found himself starting to tire out a bit, and so he decided to unleash his Critical Impact Command Style once more, and in doing so, he was able to eliminate a large number of the Heartless in one fell swoop. Terra allowed a smug look of success to cross his face for a minute, but that look immediately vanished when more Heartless suddenly rose up from the ground around him, leading him to groan in response over the fact that they just did not seem to stop coming.

A glance over in Booster's direction told Terra that the large Ranger was having just as much trouble dealing with Torque, as the criminal just did not ever seem to tire out no matter how many times he duplicated himself. It was clear that if something was not done soon, they would likely be defeated after their opponents had completely tired them out, and that idea alone was not one that Terra was too fond of. As he was thinking of this though, he suddenly felt the power of darkness start to build up inside of him, and he immediately panicked at seeing the dark aura already forming around him. "No, not now! Please, not now," Terra cried out as he held his hand in one hand while using his Keyblade to try and keep himself upright.

Hearing his friend's cries of distress, Ven immediately turned to see what was happening to Terra, and the blonde immediately reactivated his Fever Pitch Command Style so that he could race over to his friend while slashing through Heartless and Unversed alike. Eventually, he could feel the energy from his Command Style reaching its limit, and upon achieving this realization, he immediately used a Magnet Spell to draw some of his enemies in. Once he had done so, a sudden wingspan of phantom swords exploded out around him, which then began to lash out and destroy enemies surrounding him in all directions, often acting like afterimages at times with the swings of his Keyblade. Once he was close enough to Terra, he slashed away a few more enemies before he knelt down next to Terra and shouted, "Terra, calm down! If you start panicking like this then the darkness inside of you will start to overcome you, and that'll cause the cave to collapse on us!"

"If I don't try to contain it…it'll collapse on us anyway," Terra grunted, still trying to hold his dark powers in.

"Terra, don't you get it? The reason why you're having such trouble with controlling that power is because you're trying to keep it all bottled up inside without acknowledging it," Ven reasoned with his friend. "That darkness is a part of you, just like Vanitas is a part of me! The minute you realize that, you'll be able to really command its power just like any other power! Don't think of it as some outside influence, because it's no different from the Wing Blade Command Style that I'm using right now! It's really just a whole new Command Style that only you have!"

Terra allowed himself a moment to let Ventus's words sink in, and he then closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself and try to accept the power that was held within him. Unfortunately, the fact that the power just seemed to continue to grow did not help that process, and Terra cried out, "I can't do it…It's hopeless! I just can't do it!"

"Yes you can," Ven argued. "I know how strong you are, and I know for a fact that if anyone can do this, it's you, because I believe in you!"

Terra's eyes immediately snapped towards the blonde Keybearer upon hearing that, hardly believing what he had just heard Ven say, and his eyes soon found their way to Booster when he heard the Jo-Adian calling out to him. "Nothing's ever hopeless, Terra," Booster told the Keyblade wielder as he fired both his blaster and laser into some more Torque duplicates. "There's always a way to pull through! Buzz taught me that the very first time I met him, and I know that so long as you're friend believes in you, you'll be able to do what you need to do in order to win!"

"Awe, how sweet! The little key boy needs his palies to hold his hand," Torque then mocked. Terra's gaze was soon directed to the five-eyed alien, and the minute it had landed on Torque, he saw that said alien was aiming one of his blasters right at him and Ventus as he said, "Well let's see how he does without one of those palies to take care of him."

The sight of someone aiming at Ven was bad enough, but when Terra heard what Torque had said, his eyes had instantly narrowed, and the uncontrollable dark aura that had been surrounding suddenly seemed to calm down as he rose to his feet and declared, "You can mock me all you want, tough guy, but I won't let you hurt my friends!"

The minute he said that, Terra had shot off like a rocket towards Torque, with his Keyblade glowing with dark energy, and everyone could tell that not only had Terra's attacks become even faster than before, but the attacks themselves dealt a great deal to his opponents of damage while lifting him off the ground with each swing of his blade, right to the point where a large claw suddenly materialized from Terra's hand when he struck a group of opponents. Eventually, Terra seemed to sink into the ground, only to reappear beneath Torque a minute later with the same clawed hand raised upward, knocking the space criminal into the air. The minute Torque had hit the ground, Terra's dark aura dissipated, sending out a wave of energy that destroyed the other Torques in the shockwave that was unleashed.

While Booster slapped a set of cuffs on all four of Torque's wrists, Ven took the opportunity to run up to Terra with a broad grin on his face as he shouted, "Terra, you did it! You were able to control the darkness inside of you!"

Terra gazed down at his hand for a minute as he dismissed his Keyblade before he finally turned to Ven and smiled as he said, "I wouldn't say that I've really learned how to control it yet, but I've definitely made a step forward in doing so, and I couldn't have done it without you, Ven."

"Sure you could've. It just would've taken you a few ages longer before you finally figured out the trick to it, you know, since your such a slow learner about these types of things," Ven told his friend in a joking tone while resting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.

"Oh, I'm a slow learner," Terra asked in the same tone. "Out of the two of us, who was it that crashed and burned more than anyone in history when he was learning how to fly on his Keyblade Glider?"

"Hey, some of that was due to the sun being in my eyes and bad wind, along with you throwing off my concentration, and you know it," Ven playfully argued in retort.

"There was barely ever any wind back home at all," Terra reminded. "And are you really going to try to blame it on the thing that you share a name with?"

Booster could only smile happily as the two continued to bicker playfully, glad to see that Terra seemed to be stronger now the before, and that he was able to get a small glimpse at the bond of friendship that was shared between them.

* * *

A few hours later, Booster had locked Torque in the brig on Forty Two so that he could be transported to prison after the whole mess was over, and the three boys were now seated in Booster's old home after his mother insisted on treating them all to some Bunzel Dumplings before they left. Terra and Ven were both a little skeptical about trying the delicacy at first, but after a couple of bites, the two found that they enjoyed the treat very much. That did not mean that they were quick to start wolfing them down like Booster was doing though.

As they were waiting for Booster to finish his "small" snack, Terra had excused himself for a moment saying that he needed to use the bathroom, and when he finally came out a few moments later, Ven let a smile brighten his face when he saw that Terra had finally taken the time to shave his beard off, leading the blonde to say, "Now that's a bit more like the Terra I know."

Terra smiled in thanks to his friend, feeling that he had to agree with the blonde, as when he saw his reflection in the mirror after he had finally shaved that last of his beard off, he felt like he was starting to become a bit more like his old self again. After sitting down once again, since Booster still was not finished with his snack, Terra opened his mouth to say something to Ven, but the younger boy beat him to the punch when he asked, "Say Terra, what was it you were going to ask me before we landed?"

Terra just smiled at Ven before he replied, "It doesn't matter now. I already got my answer. Oh, and thanks for still believing in me, Ven."

Ven just smiled and said, "Of course. After all, what're friends for?"

Terra nodded in reply before he turned to Booster and said, "If you're about done with your snack, we need to at least contact Sora and the others to let them know what happened."

"Right," Booster said as he swallowed his most recent mouthful of dumplings. "I'll let Buzz know right away."

"Don't worry about it," Terra waved Booster off. "I've got it." He then pulled out his Wayfinder and held it up to himself as he started to focus on a special power he shared with his friends, earning a look of confusion from everyone but Ven as he did.

"What's he doing," Booster finally asked.

"He's using a power known as a Dimension Link, or D-Link to talk to Sora and the others," Ven explained. "It's something that Keyblade wielders can gain after forming a special connection with certain individuals, but if they use it with other Keyblade wielders, they can even use it to communicate with each other."

"Well, why couldn't I just use my wrist communicator to call Buzz," Booster asked.

"I think Terra wants to make sure that whatever we say to each other has as little chance as possible of being overheard by anyone else," Ven explained. It was the most likely reason that he could think of, and he could not blame Terra for being cautious, after all, there was no telling what their friends were facing at the moment.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 6:**

 **Our numbers have grown rather great in the time that has passed, and with them, so has the strength of Sora and Kairi. My former apprentice, Mickey, truly believes that this will help us to eventually end this long and terrible war between light and darkness, but I fear that this is only the beginning of Xehanort's true plots. As such, I feel that I can no longer leave anything to chance by leaving only Mickey as our one true master of the Keyblade. As such, I have now made a decision that it has come time that Sora and Kairi come before us once again for what could be their most dangerous assignment yet. That assignment: to show us the Mark of Mastery.**

 **Though they are both younger than Terra and Aqua were when they first took the Mark of Mastery Exam, desperate times call for desperate measures, for we can no longer risk having only one Keyblade Master with us, and since Sora and Kairi have proven themselves time and again to possess the ability to reach that level, it seems only fair that we test them both. Admittedly, the examination is far different from the one that was once used in the past, but given what has transpired, I feel that my decision on how to truly test them may perhaps be the best way. Ideally, if this succeeds, then they will both pass, but that is a rather optimistic hope, given that this exam will have us sending Sora and Kairi into the realm of sleep.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Okay so, for those of you who caught it last chapter, that moment during the action with Terra and Ventus was my attempt at describing them using Shot Locks, and yes I plan to use the English version of the Command Styles. Speaking of which, I really hope I did at least an okay job describing the Command Styles mechanics from the point of view of the characters in how their used, and just basically describing how they're used in general._**

 ** _Buzz: Well you certainly seemed to do a fine job of doing that to me._**

 ** _AN: I know, but I still can't help but worry about that, you know? Oh and in case you were all wondering or just couldn't figure it out, that last Command Style Terra used was Dark Impulse._**

 ** _Buzz: What about that mission log from Yen Sid?_**

 ** _AN: What the Yen Sid report here at the end? Well that's sort of leading into this story's version of Dream Drop Distance. Granted I never played that game, but I do know the story and I've seen the cutscene movie, so I know the basics of how it went, and since we've already established that Riku's not one of the good guys at the moment, it was only obvious that the person who took the exam with Sora would be Kairi. That also serves as justification as to another reason as to why Kairi was sent back in time along with Sora, because in my opinion, if you're worthy enough to be able to take something like the Mark of Mastery and have at least done so, pass of fail, then why wouldn't you be a prime candidate to take on a mission this big._**

 ** _Buzz: So what are the chances of you telling us how that Mark of Mastery Exam turned out in this continuity?_**

 ** _AN: Not very likely to happen until the chapter that reveals a Yen Sid report telling of it. Now onto the preview!..._**

 ** _The adventures on Trade World continue on, as XR and Kairi scour the rough streets and skies of the planet for the Heartless, the Unversed, and the villain leading them. Although, handling the rough streets that are crawling with criminals and shady character around every corner may be a bit more difficult for Kairi than she originally thought, it still does not stop her from showing her strength as a Keyblade Master. The Robot Ranger and Princess of Heart continue to fight through horde after horde of the creatures of darkness, until they eventually find themselves dealing with a small family matter that has plagued both Star Command and XR for some time. Find out if the two heroes survive both Trade World and their next opponent, next time!_**

 ** _Buzz: Well I guess that's it for now, and it looks like we'll be seeing XR and Kairi in action next chapter. Hope XR will be alright._**

 ** _AN: Oh don't worry, he'll be fine. Although, I'm a bit surprised you're more concerned about XR than Kairi._**

 ** _Buzz: Well XR is a member of my team, and while Kairi has had a bit of a history with being captured and used as a means to try and cripple Sora's resolve, she has proven to be quite capable time and again, both in her own right and as a Keyblade wielder._**

 ** _AN: Well can't argue with that. Anyways..._**

 ** _Buzz &AN: Please read and review and see ya real soon!_**


	7. Robots and a Princess

_**AN: Okay, so, this one turned out to be rather short.**_

 _ **Buzz: I don't suppose that it was meant as some passive joke about XR's height, was it?**_

 _ **AN: No, not in the slightest. It's just that I honestly expected this chapter to be longer than it turned out to be, but then again, this wasn't exactly one of the more...profound moments of the story so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.**_

 _ **Buzz: Well disappointment is always something we should be prepared to face. That way we can learn from the things that had led to such disappointments and try to improve so that we may avoid them again.**_

 _ **AN: I suppose that's true. So, what're your thoughts on this chapter's team, Buzz?**_

 _ **Buzz: Well, XR has plenty of experience on Trade World so that should give them a slight edge, on the other hand, Kairi is normally perceived as someone that would not do that well in such a place at first glance, but given how she's quick to adjust before facing a dangerous situation head-on, even if it means charging in, I doubt that will be much of a problem.**_

 _ **AN: Thanks Buzz. Now with that said, if I may be so bold, to the next chapter...and beyond!**_

 _ **Buzz: That was actually really good. Have you been practicing that?**_

 _ **AN: Little bit. Thanks for noticing.**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter VII**

If she were being honest with herself, Kairi would be the first to admit that she honestly wished that Sora had asked Terra to stay with her on Trade World, because after hearing XR's not so subtle explanation of how the planet was basically the bad side of town of the Galactic Alliance, not counting Planet Z or any other world in Zurg's territory, she could not help but feel a good deal of nervousness overcome her before they went around every corner. Of course, the fact that her current partner was a small robot that only came up to her waist did not help matters, but the chances she had to cut down any Heartless and Unversed they came across certainly did. There was just something about destroying creatures of darkness that seemed relaxing to the young Princess of Heart, not that the Robot Ranger did not try to help a little.

The problem was, XR's way of helping was to state a worse case scenario rather bluntly while also mentioning a few of the more unimportant things like how outrageous the prices at some of the shops were on Trade World, but Kairi did still have to give the guy credit for trying, and that fact alone was enough to make her feel better. Of course, from where she was standing, XR seemed to be more lax about his job than the rest of Team Lightyear, but even so, it was still pretty obvious that under the façade he tried to put up, XR was actually rather nervous about how well he did on his job for whatever reason that Kairi could not begin to figure out. After blasting away another swarm of Heartless and Unversed with her Keyblade and XR's blasters, Kairi finally decided that maybe she should attempt to figure out the answers to the robot's nervousness, if for no other reason than to try and get to know XR better and to distract her from her rattling nerves.

"Say XR," Kairi called out as she dismissed her Keyblade for what seemed like the twentieth time since she had arrived on this world. "How come your so nervous about how you're doing anyway?"

"What," XR exclaimed with a slight stutter that almost anyone else would have missed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean, why would I be nervous about something? Hello, I can just get blown up and not worry about it because Buzz and the others can easily put me back together again."

"You're really good at hiding it, but I know you're nervous about something, and it's not blowing up. Although, I have to admit it is kind of strange that you have such a lax attitude about that, even for a robot," Kairi admitted.

XR had tried to simply keep moving and hope that the redhead would drop the matter, but when he heard her statement, he could not help but freeze in his tracks before letting his shoulders sag as he turned around and began to say, "Well I guess it's mostly cause I don't want Pop to think I can't make it as a Ranger."

"Pop," Kairi asked in confusion.

"Commander Nebula," XR clarified as he pulled out a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. "He signed the work order that would allow the LGMs to build me, so I think of that as his way of giving me life, even if they did slip the paperwork in with a vacation request. You see, Commander Nebula was convinced a long time ago that a robot Ranger was a really bad idea, so even though I know that he's proud of the things I've accomplished along with Buzz and the others, I still feel like one small slip up would be cause enough for him to give the order to have me deactivated."

Kairi stared at XR in shock for a minute before she allowed a small smile to reach her face as she knelt down next to XR and said, "You know that's not true. The fact that you're still around now is proof that he would never deactivate you for one mistake. Everyone messes up sometimes, but what really proves their worth is how they learn from their mistakes so that they can do better in the future."

"Easy for you to say," XR argued. "You and your friends are Keyblade Masters, and you guys don't ever make mistakes."

"You sure about that," Kairi asked. "Then maybe I should tell you of all the times that Sora's made a mistake of some type while he was on his adventures, only for me or one of our other friends to have to bail him out. One of Sora's biggest faults is that he tends to be a little too trusting and childish at times, but even so, he's still able to know when to be cautious about a situation and not mess around."

XR thought over Kairi's words for a minute before a smile of his own reached his face which he flashed to Kairi in thanks before they began moving again. As they were going though, XR had to ask, "Say, are you really okay with talking about your boyfriend like that behind his back?"

"What," Kairi exclaimed as her face turned almost as red as her hair. "S-Sora's not boyfriend."

"That's not the impression I got off of him," XR smirked, teasingly. "I mean, he was giving me a pretty intense glare when I tried flirting with you and the blue haired beauty that left with Mira for Tangea, and I doubt he would've told me that you were his girl before he left otherwise."

"W-well, maybe you were just…" Kairi started to say, but when her mind registered what XR had said at the end a small smile graced her face even though her blush did not fade even a little. "Did he really say that I was his girl?"

XR just nodded in reply, but before either of them could say anymore on the subject, they heard someone cry out in fear, and they immediately raced towards the source, blasters and Keyblade ready. Upon reaching said source, they discovered that it was a large building with a sign that read "The Fixer" above the entrance, and upon running inside, they saw a man with pale green skin, a dark blue, thick, scraggly beard, and wearing an orange jumpsuit with a blue hat surrounded by Heartless and Unversed. Kairi and XR only glanced between themselves for a minute before they ran into action, weapons swinging and firing at each of the two types of dark creatures.

Kairi may not have had as much in the way of experience as Sora did when it came to the Keyblade, but she was still a Keyblade Master nonetheless, and it truly showed as she swung her Keyblade through multiple different Heartless and Unversed with a precision and ease that was befitting of a master. When it seemed that a group of Neo Shadows were about to catch her off-guard, she simply cast a Magnet Spell that drew them into the air, and then followed up with a Holy Spell to finish them off with the power of the light spell. She then turned to the other Heartless and cast a small barrage of similar light spells at them in rapid sequence that would cause one to think that she were barely expending any energy at all with each orb of light that she fired, which technically was quite true, because during her training, Kairi found that she had a natural talent for healing and light magic due to her nature as a Princess of Heart, so it came as no surprise that she would master such spells to the point where she did not need to expend as much energy as others would, as opposed to how Sora would sometimes need to use at least half of his own energy to cast just one healing spell.

XR on the other hand was using his size to his advantage, as even when the larger monsters such as Large Bodies and Bruisers tried to attack him, he simply either extended his legs upward to let them run right under him or rolled to the side as fast as he could to let them just run right into a wall, disorienting his opponents long enough to finish them off either with the blasters in his hands or the larger blaster that he extended from his chest from time to time. Soon enough though, XR found himself arming all of his blasters at once and unleashing a barrage of lasers at the remaining Heartless and Unversed around him, effectively wiping nearly all of them out with one fell swoop. The surviving monsters were easily dealt with by a few slashes from Kairi's Keyblade, ending the battle and saving the would-be victim's life.

When they turned to tell the man he was safe now, they were a bit surprised to find him grumbling to himself before he said, "Alright, your job's done here, now get out! I've got a business to run, so if you don't mind."

"Well that's a bit rude," Kairi muttered under her breathe to the Robot Ranger.

XR was about to agree with her when he suddenly gave a small start at the sight of the man, showing that he recognized him. The next thing Kairi knew, XR had rolled right up to the pale green individual and grabbed him by the front of his shirt as he snarled, "So our paths cross again, Mister Fixer. Don't think I forgot about how you set me up the last time we met."

The Fixer just looked at XR in confusion for a minute before he finally gained a shocked look in recognition of his own and stuttered, "Oh, you're that robot that came in here looking for an AFD-thing! Look, whatever problem you got with me, I swear I didn't know what was going to happen to you! I just…I mean I didn't…"

"Want to take care of your own dirty business in Killerville," XR asked rhetorically. "Yeah, I kinda got that impression just from the fact that you asked me to deliver that part to someone who hung out there. You're just lucky that I'm a Space Ranger, and I would never harm a prisoner, although I should have you arrested for selling some illegal parts to known criminals."

"No, no! Please, I've already got one crazy robot after me," Fixer begged. "I don't need Star Command after me too!"

"Wait a minute," Kairi then cut in. "What do you mean that one crazy robot is after you?"

"Look kid, you seem like a nice girl, despite the company you keep," Fixer told the redhead as he cast a sideways look in XR's direction as he said the last part. "Just drop this matter right now, 'cause I would honestly hate for something to happen to you or someone you care about."

"Here's a better idea," XR stated as he pulled out one of his many laser blasters and aimed it right at the Fixer. "You tell us what we want to know, and I may not bust your butt for every crime you've committed, assuming my waning patience doesn't cause me to just plain, bust it."

Fixer seemed to pale even more at that until Kairi placed a hand on XR's shoulder, getting the robot to back up a bit as she stepped forward and said, "I can't promise that I'll be able to control my friend here for long, but I can promise that we'll be able to help you deal with whoever has been giving you such a hard time lately. Just tell us what's wrong, or at the very least if that person you were talking about sent those monsters after you."

Fixer glanced between the two peace keepers for a minute before he finally relented and said, "Alright, I don't know nothing about where those things came from, but I do know for a fact that they showed up after that crazy robot that used to be one of my regulars threatened to have me silenced or something. Thing is, he's not exactly your average robot. I mean his head is kinda similar to your friend there, just a different color and with mismatched sized eyes, but the strangest thing is that he seems to be made of a variety of different parts that don't really blend together all that much."

XR gasped upon hearing that and exclaimed, "XL!"

"Yeah, that's him," Fixer confirmed. "I don't give him one thing simply because I don't have it in stock, and he figures that's reason enough to end our business and me. Please tell me that you're going to get him."

"Oh, I intend to," XR confirmed as he turned and raced out of the store after getting XL's location from Fixer. Kairi stared after XR for a minute before she finally thanked the Fixer and took off after the small robot, wondering what had gotten into the seemingly carefree Robot Ranger all of a sudden the whole time she went.

* * *

After they had traveled a decent ways and fought off few hordes of Heartless and Unversed, Kairi could easily see that XR was getting more vicious in his attacks, almost like the battles had become more personal for him. He would basically be using all his guns at once and fire off a massive barrage that would wipe out a large swarm of the two groups of dark monsters with so much ease that it was practically overkill, and the fact that he did not let up even for a second would make just about anyone worried about the small guy. If it were not for the fact that XR was a robot, Kairi would have been worried that he was going crazy with anger every time he fought, but that did not mean that she was not worried about XR at all.

After they had dealt with a group of Shadows, Floods, Scrappers, and Soldiers though, Kairi felt that she had to ask what was bothering XR so much since he had torn through them in the same way he had all the other groups since they had left the Fixer's shop, despite the fact that those four monsters were some of the weakest of the Heartless and Unversed. "XR, are you okay," Kairi asked as she dismissed Destiny's Embrace.

"I will be after we bring down XL," the small robot replied as he retracted his guns into his body.

Upon hearing that, Kairi could not help but ask, "What's the deal with this XL person, anyway? Do you know him?"

"Better than I would like to admit," XR sighed. "You see, XL is the reason why Commander Nebula was so against the idea of having a Robot Ranger before I was built. XL is actually the Robot Ranger that was built before me, meaning that he's essentially my big brother, but he was not exactly Ranger material, to put it mildly. He went a little crazy and tried to destroy a lot of the station, which led Commander Nebula to have XL deactivated until he suddenly came back online one day. After that, XL used a bunch of stolen parts to rebuild himself into a bigger, stronger, and more dangerous robot, all so he could get his revenge on Star Command."

Kairi had to stop and stare in shock at XR's story, hardly believing that what was easily XR's own family could have become such an awful being, especially considering that XR seemed to be so nice and true to his cause as a Space Ranger, an impression that she got just from the short time she had known him. Knowing this, it now came as no surprise that XR would take the actions that XL had taken so personally, as XL was essentially XR's worst nightmare; what could likely happen to XR if he were to end up deactivated like XL had been.

The two continued on their way towards where the Fixer had told them XL was hiding out in silence after that, only speaking or even uttering a word when they needed to in battle against the groups of Heartless and Unversed that they encountered along the way, until Kairi finally decided to ask XR something that had been bothering her for a while. "Um, XR," Kairi nervously asked after they walked. "If you don't mind my asking, if XL had caused so many problems for Star Command, why did they create you?"

XR paused for a moment before he finally looked up proudly as he recounted his story to the Princess of Heart, saying, "I guess that its mostly thanks to Buzz, in a somewhat indirect way. You see, before Buzz had taken me, Mira, and Booster on as his teammates, he had been caught up in a mission that went bad and resulted in his former partner losing his life. What we didn't know at the time was that it was all faked because Buzz's so-called partner and long-time best friend was actually a double agent for Zurg, but that's another story."

"Sounds like one that really messed with Buzz a lot," Kairi commented as she found herself thinking of multiple ways to get back at Buzz's former partner for betraying the Space Ranger like that.

"Well that's putting it mildly, if you ask me," XR remarked before he continued his story. "Anyways, after 'losing' his partner, Buzz kind of made a promise to himself that he would do whatever it took to make sure that no one would lose their life because Zurg was gunning for him, and pretty much insisted on working alone, despite the fact that regulations state that no Space Ranger is to go into a mission without backup. He had already flat out refused to work with Mira after Commander Nebula tried to spring that on him, and when the LGMs heard about the resulting fight, they decided to take matters into their own hands. The result of that was my being built."

"No offense, but what did the LGMs think building you would solve," Kairi asked.

"Oh don't worry, none taken," XR assured her before he continued his story. "Anyways, the LGMs built me to be Buzz's new partner, and their reasoning behind why I would be perfect for Buzz as a partner was that if Zurg ever tried to blow me up, then they would be able to put me back together. Buzz and the commander were still skeptical because no average robot could be expected to measure up to a real Ranger, but of course, the LGMs thought of that. My artificial intelligence chip is state-of-the-art, made it so that I was programmed to watch and learn, and being that I would be learning from the best, that being Buzz, it seemed ideal for me to at least be given a test run."

"I'm guessing that it worked out well since you're part of Buzz's team," Kairi assumed.

XR cringed a bit before he replied, "Eh…not exactly. You see, my test run came up rather sudden and only went ahead since there was no time to argue. I was to help Buzz save the LGM's homeworld from being destroyed by Zurg's forces while also keeping the big glowing orb that provides the little guys with their mind-link safe. Things went pretty well at first, until Zurg decided to sick his newest agent, who we knew at the time as Agent Z, on me and Buzz, and he was able to match us move-for-move, which is not an easy thing to do since Buzz is the best Space Ranger in Star Command, and I was following his every move at the time. The end results was that I got blown up, suffered a system malfunction, Buzz was knocked out for a minute, and the Uni-Mind was stolen."

"Ouch," Kairi winced. "But they were able to put you back together again, and you did eventually end up on Buzz's team, so I guess everything worked out in the end huh?"

"Yeah, but some were a bit skeptical of me after I got put back together in the events that followed that mission, but in all honesty, I think it worked out for the best," XR clarified. "Before then, I was practically just copying everything that Buzz did and said in the best way that I could; I mean, it was like I was a parrot or a trained monkey, or something. Now, I'm this charming piece of hardware you see before you."

Kairi had to laugh at XR's description of himself just then, and felt that she was really getting closer to the robot than she would have originally expected. Despite what the little guy said, XR was much more than what he gave himself credit for, and the fact that he acted and sounded so human was probably more than enough to make one almost forget the fact that he was a robot at all if they were not looking at him. She was soon brought out of her musings when they heard a pair of voices coming from close by, and upon turning to the source of the voices, they immediately ducked for cover hoping that they had not been seen by either the large, strange-looking robot or the person with a pair of horns on his purple head, red eyes, and yellow teeth.

"I'm telling you this is a pathetic investment," the robot gripped in a high-pitched voice. "Not only did these Heartless and Unversed things you sent me fail to off that old man, Fixer, but now you're telling me that they were even beaten by a bunch of farmers?!"

 _"_ _Lightyear had split up his team as we had expected him to in order to counteract our efforts,"_ the horn-headed man that Kairi finally recognized as Zurg replied. _"However, something that was more unexpected must have happened, as I have no doubt that the large, bumbling, buffoon should've been overwhelmed by both Torque and our new benefactor's agents. See that you remain on your guard, or you may share Torque's fate after I discover what went wrong."_

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it," the robot said as he waved his long, blue, clawed arm dismissively. "Just make sure you uphold your end of the deal and let me take a good number of damaging shots on Star Command when we finally make the big play. Oh, and remember, I want to personally scrap Commander Nebula and my little brother."

 _"_ _Not to worry, XL. You will soon get what's coming to you, just as we all will,"_ Zurg laughed as he ended the transmission, leading XL to join in on the cackling before he turned to give orders to the group of Heartless and Unversed that had gathered around him.

What the oddly shaped robot did not know, was that XR had heard all that he needed to hear before he raced out from behind his cover with an angry glare and all his blasters armed and ready as he shouted, "Sorry, XL, but I'm afraid Dad's not going to be able to give you that little quality time in the way that you want him to!"

XL immediately spun around as Kairi had just run out with her Keyblade in hand, and after staring at both the Robot Ranger and the Keyblade Master of the future, he found himself bursting out in laughter. "Oh, you…you've gotta be kidding me," XL laughed. "It's funny enough that you would try to take me on alone, little brother, but…haha…HAHAHAHAHA…I didn't think that the best you do for a temporary partner would be some little girl with a silly sword!"

XL was laughing so hard that he failed to notice Kairi's eye twitching a little as she softly asked, "Little girl…with a silly sword?"

"Well, duh," XL gasped as he regained control of himself for a minute. "I mean, look at that thing. Not only is shaped like a dumb key, but it's all covered in flowers and stuff. I mean what're you gonna do? Garden me to death? Maybe give me the dreaded sad puppy stare? Oo, oo, how about hugging me to death?"

XL's laughter returned once again in full force, but it turned out that he had done the one thing that many who knew the young girl would tell you would be the wrong thing to do, especially in the case of a certain spiky-haired, Keyblade Master who wielded the Kingdom Key; XL had just seriously pissed Kairi off, and you do not so much as make Kairi mad. This was a lesson that XL had to learn the hard way, as he soon found himself jolted by a sudden blast of lightning, and just when the lightning had ceased, he had to roll away from a particularly powerful blow from Destiny's Embrace, which ended up putting a hole in the street where XL had previously been standing. XL's eyes had instantly widened in horror when he saw what the Keyblade had done to the ground he was recently standing on, but the dangerous, murderous look he saw Kairi give him was enough to make him think that he would be permanently shut down just from looking at her.

"Sorry XR, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to have a few words with your _dear brother_ before you haul him off to the scrap yard." Even though her voice still sounded rather even, anyone could tell you that Kairi's apology was not sincere in the slightest.

XR could only dumbly nod to Kairi before the redhead began to go at it on XL with the fury which hell hath none like. The sight alone would drive the average man to their knees, begging the heavens that they would never be so foolish as to incur the Princess of Heart's wrath, for despite her title as such, Kairi was in fact very vicious and dangerous when she was angry, as all in the area were quickly discovering. XL tried to use his long, clawed arm to blast acid at the girl, but Kairi merely jumped out of the way before spinning her Keyblade in a rapid motion to block the laser barrage that XL had tried to follow up with using one of his other arm's many guns. The minute she was close enough, Kairi wasted no time throwing slash after slash into XL in a blaze of speed that many would consider inhuman, until her Keyblade began to seriously damage XL's cobbled together body, right to the point where she had successfully managed to sever XL's acid spewing arm and one of his legs off with a brutality that had XL screaming in terror for his life.

As he continued to just look on with a stupefied expression at the sight of XL, one of the toughest, most dangerous robots in the galaxy, getting torn apart like he was made of paper by this one girl with a Keyblade, XR eventually began to notice that he was not the only one frozen in shock at the sight. Looking around, the robot member of Team Lightyear saw that even the Unversed and Heartless were all just standing frozen in place and staring at the sight of their current boss getting torn apart. In a normal situation, XR probably would have taken advantage of the enemy's moment of distraction to blast them with his guns, but when he saw what he assumed to be shock and slight fear in the eyes of the dark creatures, XR had to give a little smirk as he declared, "You fellas do know that as soon as she's done with him, she's going to be coming after all of you next, and I doubt she'll be any more merciful. Trust me, I do not want to be on the receiving end of that, but since you guys are going to end up there regardless if you stick around…"

The next thing that happened would have shocked Sora, Mickey, Roxas, and anyone else who had been fighting against the Heartless for so long had they seen it, for it was a sight that one would only have been able to believe if they had seen it themselves. The Unversed and Heartless all seemed to jump in fear before they immediately began to disperse, vanishing into the thin air that they normally appeared from in many desperate attempts to escape the wrath of the angered Princess of Heart. The ones who did not make an attempt to leave the planet ended up on the receiving end of some lazy shots from XR, which all hit their mark with little to no effort what-so-ever. "Well, as much as I enjoy an easy solution, that was disappointingly anti-climatic," XR commented as he holstered his guns once again and then moved to stand off to the side as Kairi finished destroying XL.

He did not have to stand around waiting for long, as it was not long before Kairi had torn XL apart so badly that he ended up with nothing more than his helmet with his head inside of it. As soon as she saw this, Kairi immediately pulled Destiny's Embrace out of the remains of XL's torso, which she had just finished gutting apart, and immediately raced over to jab the flowery Keyblade into the evil robot's face as she snarled, "So, what were you saying about me being a little girl with a ridiculous weapon?"

XL's head shuttered inside of his helmet before he stuttered, "D-did I say little girl with a silly sword? N-no, no, no! You must've h-heard me wrong. I said…uh…strong, fearless, brave girl, with a very unique weapon that I'd never seen the likes of before. Yeah, to be honest, I-I kinda wish I had a sword like that of my own."

Kairi smirked triumphantly, feeling she had made her point crystal clear to XL, as she dismissed her Keyblade and walked over to XR and said, "So, what happened to the Heartless and Unversed?"

"Eh, I blasted a few of 'em while the rest made a smart decision," XR replied with a small wave and a chuckle. Kairi raised an eyebrow in confusion at the robot's words, but she decided that it did not matter in the end and simply shrugged it off so that XR could call in the authorities to collect XL.

* * *

After gathering up all of XL's parts and making sure that they were all offline for the moment, Kairi and XR spent a couple more hours looking around Trade World in case there were still any Heartless or Unversed around. They did not find very many, but the ones that they did find seemed to instantly try to run away or just simply disappear as they came into the monsters' sights. Kairi was a bit confused by this sudden change in the behavior of the dark monsters, and XR's chuckling in response to the sight did nothing alleviate that confusion, but since it did seem to help things move along more smoothly for them, she decided not to complain about it.

Eventually, the two had concluded that Trade World was Unversed and Heartless free, at least in the terms of the creatures of darkness that were actually known by those names, and they soon ended up at a street vendor to grab a can of oil for XR and a small drink for Kairi as they waited to either hear from the others or simply be picked up by one of them.

"You know, I gotta say, you really know how to make an impression," XR told Kairi as he took a large swallow of oil, getting a look of confusion from the girl. "I mean, at first glance, I figured you were the type of girl who was adventurous, yet also forgiving and never one to let something or someone get under your skin, at least judging from what I heard about most Keyblade Masters, but you really know how to show that while you are unique in your own way, your still just as much like everybody else as the average Joe is."

Kairi was not entirely sure if that was a compliment or not, but she elected to simply go with it and smiled in thanks for that. She then thought for a minute before she said, "You know, despite what you may think, you're a really tough guy, and you're a lot more than just something that's only good for blowing up. In my book, you're one tough Space Ranger, XR, and I know that your friends are more than happy to have you with them."

XR had to let a small blush come to his face in response to that as he chuckled, "Awe, well, that's really nice of you to say. I guess this means that we're both a lot more than the sum of our parts, huh?"

Kairi had to laugh along with the robot at that comment, but the moment soon passed as she felt a strange ringing sensation suddenly begin to enter her heart. She was not entirely sure what it was, but she could somehow tell that it was not something harmful or bad in any way, so she just simply allowed it to happen, until the ringing died down and she began to hear Terra and Aqua's voices inside her head. _"Guys, what's going on,"_ Kairi called out in her mind, ignoring the concerned look from XR as she did.

 _"_ _Just relax, Kairi,"_ Aqua's voice told her soothingly. _"Terra and I just talking to you through a D-Link."_

 _"_ _Okay, but what's a D-Link,"_ Kairi asked.

 _"_ _We'll explain later,"_ Terra cut in before Aqua could say anything, getting a small huff of irritation from the blue haired woman in response, and leading Kairi to already picture the older woman crossing her arms and pouting like a moody child. _"I just wanted to let you guys know that we've finished up on Jo-Ad, but there's something you guys should know. One of the locals here might've seen one of the guys who came back in time before Kairi and Sora."_

 _"_ _Did they tell you who they were,"_ Kairi immediately asked, knowing that Aqua was now giving her undivided attention to this as well.

 _"_ _Sorry, but the witness said that he couldn't get a good look at the person's face because the man was wearing a hood the whole time. He also said that he was wearing a long, black coat along with black gloves and shoes."_

 _"_ _That's not a lot to go on,"_ Aqua murmured in thought. _"Kairi, do you have a guess as to who it could be?"_

 _"_ _The only people that I know of that would fit that description to a "T" would be the members of Organization XIII, and I doubt that really helps at all,"_ Kairi admitted with a small shrug.

 _"_ _Still, it is a start,"_ Terra stated. _"At least we know something about who's here. Anyway, Ven and I will be heading back to Trade World with Booster to meet up with Kairi and XR as soon as Booster finishes the last of his…uh, snack."_

Neither one of the two girls were sure what to say in response to that last comment, but they both had a feeling that they probably did not want to know, so they just shook it off and replied in acknowledgement of Terra's words. Just before she ended the D-Link with them though, Aqua was able to say, _"Try not to get too cozy in the_ darkness _of space on the way back, Terra."_

 _"_ _Wow, real clever. Did it hurt trying to come up with that,"_ Terra asked with heavy sarcasm and an apparent eye roll that Kairi could somehow sense him doing.

The redhead just put that small detail aside for a moment to break up another argument between the two with a simple statement of, _"Knock it off you two. You sound like an old married couple."_

 _"_ _Don't insult me by putting me in a situation like that with her/him,"_ was the simultaneous response from both parties in said argument, and like with Terra's eye roll, Kairi could somehow sense the blush that the two of them had gained just as the D-Link ended, abruptly. Admittedly, she was a bit amused by the fact that she was the one causing two people to react like that after indirectly implying that there was something more than friendship between them instead of being on the receiving end of such implications, but that small bout of amusement did little to help the fact that they still had no solid idea as to who the two villainous time travelers were, and the worry she felt rising up from how Terra and Aqua's arguments could escalate to a level that could cause serious problems for her and Sora's mission if something was not done soon.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 7:**

 **Sending Kairi and Sora into the Realm of Sleep so that they may unlock the keyholes to the sleeping worlds may be a very dangerous way to test them for the Mark of Mastery, but given the current circumstances, I feel that this would not only benefit them, but that it would also provide us with a stronger foothold against Xehanort's forces. That does not mean that I am to proceed without taking whatever precautions I can. I have asked my apprentice, Naminé to assist me in making sure that the spell is successfully cast so that there would be no intrusions into this test for the two, and after having asked for Roxas, Lea, and Mickey to temporarily leave the training for the newly recruited warriors of the light in order to help us safeguard their bodies, I now feel that there is very little more that we can do.**

 **It is a dangerous task that the two young Keybearers face, one fraught with danger and challenges the likes of which neither of them have ever known, but with Naminé's help, we shall all be able to watch over them as they proceed on their most perilous journey yet, and upon seeing the two together as they faced the earliest dangers in the Realm of Sleep, somehow I feel that they may yet prevail no matter what obstacles we may face. I can only hope that feeling is not ill-placed.**

* * *

 ** _AN: So there you have it. That's the story of how things went on Trade World after Kairi and XR were left there by the others._**

 ** _Buzz: You know, when you say it like that, it sounds kinda...bad._**

 ** _AN:...hmm, yeah I guess it does. Anyways, with this chapter, I wanted to showcase a bit of BL of SC history, namely the story of the origin movie, or pilot movie, whatever you want to call The Adventure Begins, and so, that was left to explaining XR's history. For those of you who know that story, hope you enjoyed my belief on how XR would go about giving an honest reminder, because let's face it, it would need to be someone like Kairi for him to give an honest explanation on those events._**

 ** _Buzz: I...can't really argue with that, mostly because I'm a little sacred of what you might have Kairi do to me after what she ended up doing to XL in the story._**

 ** _AN: Yeah, I kinda figured that even someone like Kairi would not take stuff like that sitting down, so I decided to show just how true that is. Of course, my reasoning behind this is that Kairi actually tried to attack Axel in an attempt to escape him in the manga adaption of Kingdom Hearts II, so I'm not sure how well that will be received._**

 ** _Buzz: What about how the Unversed and Heartless ran away in terror like that? They're creatures of darkness, as in feeding off fear, anger, and all that other stuff._**

 ** _AN: Would you want to be a creature of darkness that was faced with the possibility of confrontation against someone like an angry Princess of Heart? You know, a person who's heart is pure light?_**

 ** _Buzz:...Good point. Anyways, To the Preview...and Beyond!_**

 ** _AN: HEY!...I was gonna say that..._**

 ** _Aqua and Mira arrive on Tangea, and Aqua's initial impression of Mira's people is not a very strong, positive one, even in the case of Mira's father. The two soon discover that there are far worse than that on the Tangean Ranger's home planet, as an old enemy of both Mira and her father's bursts onto the scene with Tangean Grounders, Heartless, and a man in a large, black coat to threaten them all. The following confrontation will lead to great struggles, desperate efforts of defense, and a shocking revelation as to the identity of one of the evil time travelers that Sora and Kairi were sent back in time to stop. Find out the answers to all the questions that this preview has given rise to, next time._**

 ** _AN: Phew, I'd hate to be in King Nova's shoes if he does something to get Aqua mad._**

 ** _Buzz: Ditto._**

 ** _AN &Buzz: Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	8. An Enemy Revealed

_**AN: And we are blasting into action once more with another thrilling adventure in the Galactic Alliance!**_

 _ **Buzz: And this makes it only one chapter away from my big moment, not that I'm really keeping track.**_

 _ **AN: Sure Buzz, whatever you say. So now we see the all girl team of Aqua and Mira flying into action on Tangea, and things are really going to get crazy this time around. In all honesty, I think that part of the reason last chapter felt so short to me was because of the fact that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus have those Command Styles of theirs that I just have to write about when they use them, and Sora and Kairi's fighting style is just so...what's the word I'm looking for? Basic, maybe?**_

 _ **Buzz: Sounds about right. But you know, as I was reading this chapter, I was actually rather surprised by some of the moments in this chapter, or at least one moment in particular.**_

 _ **AN: Oh really? Care to elaborate on that? [gains mischievous grin]**_

 _ **Buzz: Nice try son, but I know full well about that little thing you do to prevent spoilers, and this Ranger wasn't born yesterday, nor was he just promoted from rookie yesterday either.**_

 _ **AN: Well that's both disappointing and a relief actually. Disappointing cause I haven't done that in a while and a relief because I don't want to do it to you.**_

 _ **XR: Oh sure, Buzz can keep that to himself, but I doubt that he's able to hide the fact that next chapter will have a scene that is reminiscent of that one moment in the show's...**_

 _ **AN: There we go! Him I don't mind doing this to. DAH! SPOILER! [hits control]**_

 _ **XR: Wait, what? [gets attacked by Puss in Boots] AH! GET HIM OFF, GET HIM OFF, GET HIM OFF, GET HIM OFF!**_

 _ **Buzz: [laughing almost uncontrollably] Now that's funny.**_

 _ **AN: Right?! So now that that's done, let's move onto the story. To Infinity...**_

 _ **Buzz: HEY! That's my line, so I say it! To Infinity, and Beyond!**_

 _ **lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

 ** _AN: Gee, thanks for ruining my fun._**

* * *

 **Chapter VIII**

As she flew the Alpha One towards her home, Mira took a moment to glance over at Aqua as the blue haired Keyblade Master continued to sit there with her eyes closed in concentration. A moment ago, Aqua had stated that Terra wanted to speak with her about something and she had instantly pulled out a small, star shaped object before she assumed what Mira could only describe as a meditative posture, which she was still in. Mira was beginning to wonder if she should try and snap Aqua out of her trance now, but just as she was about to reach over, Aqua's eyes snapped open and then seemed to gain a small scowl as she brought her attention to the stars outside the window. Of course, that was not the only thing about Aqua's expression that Mira had noticed. "Hey Aqua, are you okay," the Tangean Ranger asked.

"Yeah fine," Aqua replied shortly. "Terra was just telling us that a witness got a small, unhelpful glance of the guy our group is after. Unhelpful because the only description he got was that it was a man in a long black coat with his hood up along with black gloves and boots. Why do you ask?"

"W-well, uh, no reason," Mira replied. "It's just that…your face is all red."

Aqua immediately looked away as she quickly said that it was nothing, not wanting to admit the fact that she was blushing because of what Kairi had implied about her and Terra and the resulting response that she and Terra had given at the same time. Admittedly, Aqua would not deny that at one point she might have had those sorts of feelings for Terra, but after all that happened between them, the only thing that she felt for the taller Keyblade Wielder was anger and hatred. She may have agreed to a small truce with the man, but it would be some time before she could so much as consider them friends again. Hoping to divert the conversation from that particular topic, Aqua quickly composed herself as much as she could before asking, "Why'd you join the Space Rangers, Mira?"

Mira gazed out ahead of her for a few moments in a moment of recollection before she finally replied, "Well I guess I could say that it was because I thought that I could show my people that our world is just as affected by events in the rest of the galaxy as anyone else is, despite their thinking that Tangeans are above everyone else, but really, I was inspired by Buzz after what he did for my people."

"What do you mean by that," Aqua asked.

Mira smiled fondly in reminiscence once again before she began to tell the tale of how she first met Buzz Lightyear a few years ago. "It all started when my people were first being offered membership into the Galactic Alliance," Mira recounted. "Despite the fact that we would gain great benefits by joining, including protection from Zurg's forces, my father, King Nova, and the other councilors were all adamant on saying no. You see, Tangean Royals are a bit, well, stuck-up and think that they're better than everyone else. My father still considers Space Rangers to be like a group of trained monkeys in space suits, and even after a recommendation from Buzz, my father still believed that joining the Galactic Alliance would be like joining a club of lesser beings."

"Sounds like they're very difficult to deal with," Aqua commented.

"You have no idea," Mira groaned in reply. "A minute after the presentation had concluded though, Zurg himself burst into the palace and captured my father, trapping him inside his new Hyper Hornet. It was basically like his other Hornets except bigger, and 'more evil', according to Zurg. The council members thought that Zurg was wasting his time trapping my father inside his robot, ya know, since Tangeans can ghost through solid objects, but it turned out that Zurg had planned for that, and his Hyper Hornet was Tangean proof. Buzz was quick to fly into action, but while he was struggling to stop the Hyper Hornet alone, my people, who could see plain as day that they were being brutally attacked, decided that it would be better to form a committee to deal with the situation and try writing a letter to Zurg telling him how upset they were with his invasion of our home."

"Please tell me that they didn't seriously think that would work," Aqua begged.

"Like I said, stuck-up, snooty bunch of people who think they're more evolved than the rest of the galaxy, but I guess I forgot to mention that they're not all that bright when it comes to dealing with threats," Mira replied with a shake of her head. "Aside from me, there's really only one other Tangean member of the Space Rangers, so that should tell you a bit. In the end, it came down to me and Buzz to save my father and my home. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I could make a difference, but Buzz simply told me that you're never going to win if you're too busy counting the ways you're going to lose. With Buzz's help, my father was freed, Zurg was driven off Tangea, and not long after that, Tangea joined the Galactic Alliance, and I joined Star Command."

Aqua had to smile at the conclusion to Mira's story, as she found the orange haired woman to be rather brave to do something that her people, including her own father, would likely frown upon, especially when that something was protecting the innocent after hearing it. In all honesty though, she was rather surprised by the way that Mira described her people though, as most people she had met in royal positions were actually quite friendly and social, but then again, most of those types of people were either the Princesses of Heart, Queen Minnie and King Mickey, Ansem the Wise, or a number of other people who were like that, so Aqua was not entirely sure how she would be able to handle being around the Tangean people. Still, Aqua had always been taught to be respectful to figures of high authority and royalty, so she felt confident that her best behavior should not make things too difficult for her. Of course, if Mira knew that Aqua was thinking that way, she would immediately shoot that idea down.

Before Mira could say anything to further caution the Keyblade Master about dealing with her people to Aqua, the sensors on the ship started to go off, letting them know that they were approaching their destination. After getting clearance to land at the palace, Mira was quick to bring the Alpha One in for a smooth landing before the two disembarked from the ship and onto the deck that surrounded the Tangean palace. After taking a quick look around the building for a moment, Aqua immediately noticed something strange and immediately pointed it out to Mira as she said, "Um, Mira, I don't see any doors or windows anywhere near us. How are we going to get inside?"

Before Mira could answer, a light blue skinned man in an extravagant, green suit with a cane, and hair like Mira's suddenly came through the wall and began to approach them. "That's how," Mira replied in a small whisper, getting only a nod from Aqua, as the blue haired girl had admittedly forgotten that Mira had mentioned she and her people could go through walls like that.

"Mira," the man called out joyfully as he came up to them. "It is so good to see you! I take it that this means that this whole Star Command phase of yours has finally passed and you've returned home?"

"No father," Mira replied as she gave her father a quick hug. "And that question wasn't funny the first few times you've asked it whenever I came to visit either."

"Well, you cannot blame a man for trying," King Nova shrugged. "But whatever could those monkeys in space suits have sent you here for this time?"

"It's very urgent business, your highness" Aqua replied for Mira as she stepped forward. "There's a group of creatures that have been sighted throughout your galaxy and…"

"Madame, I assure you that no such creature could possibly prove to be any threat to a true Tangean," King Nova interrupted.

"Father, this is serious," Mira told the king. "We received a report that they were here on Tangea, and that's why the two of us got here as quickly as we could."

"Well, however dangerous these supposed 'creatures' may seem to Star Command, I'm sure they will prove no problem for our people," King Nova snorted. "As I've told you time and again Mira, we do not need some monkeys in flying space suits to protect our world."

"Sir, please," Aqua then asked. "These beings are much more dangerous than you realize. If they are not dealt with, it would cause…"

"My dear, please, do not try to interfere in matters that are much too difficult for a lesser beings to understand," King Nova interrupted once more before he turned to his daughter again, making Aqua wonder if he was going to let her finish one sentence while she was here. "Now Mira, just leave your newest pet outside, and we'll try to see if this matter is truly worth all this trouble."

At being called a pet, Aqua finally lost all patience completely, and summoned her Keyblade as she declared, "Sir, my name is Keyblade Master Aqua, and I will not stand for these insults any further!"

At both Aqua's declaration and the moment when the Keyblade Master had raised Stormfall to point directly at him, King Nova had to jump back a little in shock before he regained his composure and stated, "Oh I am terribly sorry for that, Master Aqua. Had I known that you were a wielder of the Keyblade I wouldn't have been so unkind towards you."

"Wait, wait, wait," Mira cut in as she waved her hands in a gesture to hold on for a minute. "Father, you know about this whole Keyblade thing?"

"Oh but of course Mira," King Nova admitted. "It is one of the few things that I find to actually be beneficial to being a member of the Galactic Alliance. All world leaders are told of the existence of the Keyblade Wielders, in the event that they arrive and need to act accordingly on our world with as little interference as possible. Though I must admit, when I imagined my own meeting with a Keyblade Master, I never expected that master to be so young. Your own master must certainly be quite the teacher, Master Aqua."

"Please, just Aqua is fine," Aqua stated as she dismissed her Keyblade. "I'm sorry for my outburst, and you are correct. My master, Eraqus was a wise and great teacher, and an even better father figure."

King Nova raised an eyebrow at Aqua's use of past tense, before he noticed the sad look on the woman's face and immediately adopted an apologetic expression as he said, "Oh, I am so sorry for your loss my dear. As for your earlier outburst, think nothing of it; I understand your reasoning for it, entirely. Now perhaps we should move inside so that you may tell me of these creatures that you spoke of earlier."

Mira and Aqua both nodded in reply to King Nova's suggestion, and they immediately followed the ruler of Tangea into the palace, with Mira ghosting Aqua inside since the Keyblade Master would not have been able to enter otherwise. None of them ever noticed a man in a black coat with sickly, cold, calculating yellow eyes watching them with a smirk on his face as they did the entire time though.

* * *

A few minutes later, Aqua and Mira had finally finished explaining the situation involving the Heartless and the Unversed to King Nova, and while her father was a bit skeptical about the matter at first, he could not deny that the fact that both a Keyblade Master and his daughter were very worried about the entire thing. Still, that left one thing unanswered for the ruler of Tangea. "Why in the galaxy would they come here," King Nova asked.

"The Heartless and Unversed have no reason beyond instinct, your highness," Aqua replied. "They act out and attack anyone who dwells in the light, all in an effort to cause a world to fall into darkness."

"But you mentioned that they were being controlled somehow," King Nova pointed out. "So whoever is controlling them must have a reason for sending them here."

"If we knew exactly who was controlling the Heartless I could probably tell you that reason, but unfortunately we're still as much in the dark on that as you are. As for the Unversed, who are controlled by Vanitas, my best guess would be to say that it's merely his way of spreading further chaos amongst the worlds for some reason that only he knows."

King Nova rubbed his chin in thought for a moment, but before he could say anymore on the matter, one of the walls of the palace was suddenly blasted open, and through the resulting hole in that wall, came a group of laughing, pale brown skinned, bald people on motorcycles, who were being led by what appeared to be another Tangean with brown hair and beard, a monocle, and a light orange suit. "Apologies, your highness, but you've just lost your crown," the newly arrived Tangean shouted.

"Angstrom," Mira exclaimed as she raised her wrist laser to both the criminal Tangean while Aqua summoned Stormfall to her hand.

Upon hearing his name being called out and turning to see the princess Ranger, Angstrom had to laugh as he declared, "Well now, it would seem that Zurg was correct in saying that I would have a chance at revenge on you by coming here, Princess."

"Who is this guy, and what's he talking about," Aqua whispered.

"Angstrom was my father's most trusted council member until he betrayed him and tried to seize the throne during my arranged wedding that ended up getting canceled," Mira whispered in reply.

"And his little friends with the big heads?"

"Tangean Grounders," Mira snarled. "Normally, they can fire energy beams from their foreheads, but while their around Tangeans like me or my father, we end up canceling out each others' powers."

"So you won't be able to ghost yourself through anything," Aqua clarified.

"No, but I'm still a Ranger," Mira replied confidently as she fired a shot that knocked one of the Grounders' motorcycles out of the air. Aqua then raced forward as Mira continued shooting in an attempt to reach the Ranger's father, but she soon found herself cut off by a swarm of Neo Shadow Heartless. She did not hesitate for a minute and started slashing her way through the monsters of darkness as she continued to run forward, only to find that the Unversed had reached King Nova first.

Aqua was about to charge forward once again, when a Corridor of Darkness suddenly appeared between her and King Nova, causing everyone's attention to move from the battle to the figure that had just appeared. When said figure had stepped out of the portal, everyone could see he had tan skin, long silver hair, and amber colored eyes that were much like those of Xehanort's, and he was wearing a white shirt that was opened to reveal a black, heart shaped symbol on his chest, a long black coat, belt, and boats, and a pair of white gloves. "I suppose that I should have expected this," the figure smirked as he threw his gaze between Angstrom and Aqua. "After all, the Keybearers always have been a thorn in my side whether it be as myself, my Nobody counterpart, or as our original self."

The way the man was speaking seemed to throw Aqua off into confusion for a minute, but the Keyblade Master was quick to shake herself out of that moment of confusion before she pointed her Keyblade directly at the man as she demanded, "Who are you? Are you the one that Sora and Kairi came back to stop?"

The man simply chuckled at Aqua's question as he mused to himself, "How long has it been since I last heard those names?" He then brought his full attention to Aqua as he stated, "I am the Heartless of the one you know as Xehanort, but you may refer to me as Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and you will find that I am much more true than the false Keyblade Hero and Princess of Heart that you and your comrades had foolishly allied yourselves with."

"False Keyblade Hero and Princess of Heart," Aqua muttered, now even more confused than before. "What do you mean?"

"I did not simply come from the future," Ansem told Aqua. "I came from the future that would have been had history unfolded as it should have been originally. I'm sure you've realized this by now, but the Sora and Kairi you have met and fought beside are from the timeline that resulted from mine and my ally's interference, which naturally means that they are nothing compared to the ones I had fought against."

"You're wrong," Aqua immediately shouted. "Sora and Kairi are both true Keyblade Masters, and they will stop you and whoever this partner of yours is!"

"Is that so? How can they stop me, if they aren't even able to save you from your destruction," Ansem asked before he summoned a Dark Guardian that then threw a powerful blast of dark magic at Aqua. Aqua was just barely able to form a shield around her in time to block the first blast, but she was completely unprepared for the blast that came after it, and was thus knocked off her feet and across the room. "I will deal with the Keybearer, Angstrom. You may have your fill of revenge on King Nova and his daughter."

Angstrom merely smirked with joy at this as he pulled out a blaster and began firing at both father and daughter, leading Mira to pull her father to safety behind some of the debris from the collapsed wall. After telling her father to try and either stay where he was or stay out of the way, Mira immediately blasted into the air with her jetpack and commenced in a dog fight against the Grounders while avoiding the attacks that Angstrom sent her way. Despite the fact that neither Mira nor her opponents could use their powers, both of them proved that they were more than able to deal with that problem, as the Grounders tore through the room on their bikes while firing their blasters and Mira swiftly avoided enemy fire while disabling or disarming the Grounders. Soon enough, the aerial battle came to an end with Mira proving victorious, and the Tangean Princess was quick to follow up that victory by flying right at Angstrom, hoping to bring him down upon landing as she did.

Angstrom was quick to react to Mira's attack though, and merely fired a few shots from his own laser gun, until he finally hit Mira's jetpack, knocking the woman out of the air and onto the ground bellow. Mira had to rub her head for a minute after her fall, but before she could attempt to rise up, she saw that Angstrom was now standing above her with his laser gun held towards her at point-blank range. "Finally, my revenge will be complete," Angstrom snarled. "And with both you and your dear father out of the way, I will be able to assume the throne myself."

"That'll never happen," Mira immediately protested as she tried fruitlessly to ghost through the floor, despite the fact that the Grounders were still in the room. "The people of Tangea will never accept you as the king! They all know what you've done in the past, Angstrom."

"Perhaps, but then again, that is why both you and your father shall also serve as examples as to what will happen to those who defy me," Angstrom sneered as he prepared to fire his gun. Just as he was beginning to squeeze the trigger though, something suddenly hit him in the head, and he fell to the floor unconscious as a result.

Mira immediately spun to see that her rescuer was actually King Nova, with his cane still raised up from hitting Angstrom with it. "Father," Mira exclaimed in surprise. "But I thought you would never resort to violence."

"Normally, I wouldn't," King Nova admitted as he held out a hand to help Mira to her feet. "But if someone is threatening my daughter, then I will not hesitate to do what is necessary."

Mira smiled at this and immediately wrapped her father in a hug as soon as she was standing up again, which King Nova was more than happy to return. The small father-daughter moment was soon interrupted when they heard Aqua cry out in pain, and then turned to see the Keyblade Master was lying on her side with Ansem floating over her as if he were gloating about how he was so easily victorious over the girl, and her Keyblade just out of her reach. "So this is the mighty Master Aqua, the only one of Eraqus's students to ever achieve the Mark of Mastery," Ansem asked rhetorically. "How unimpressive. To think that a child that is years younger than you could bring about my original defeat while you yourself fall before my might so easily."

Aqua could only glare at Ansem in response, but she had to admit that she was having trouble just getting to her feet, as the Dark Guardian held her down in its powerful grasp, squeezing the life out of her. Aqua felt like she was about to pass out at any moment when the Guardian was suddenly hit from behind by a red laser blast, distracting it long enough for Aqua to summon her Keyblade to her hand in a flash of light, and then knock the Guardian off her completely with a quick Blizzard spell. Aqua glanced over to Mira in order to give the Tangean Ranger a nod of thanks for a moment before she raced back into action.

Upon reaching Ansem, Aqua was quick to fire off a few more spells before she finally focused the magical energy that was building up inside of her into her Keyblade, and then began to glow a faint purple. As soon as she was completely enshrouded by the glow, she immediately charged forward, and much to everyone surprise, she began floating in the air as she spun her Keyblade around, even levitating it through the air and unleashing a series of strikes against Ansem and the Guardian before she finally called the blade back to her hand and used it to fire off an orb of light in the direction of the villain. Aqua then unleashed a series of Thunder and Magnet spells until her glowing aura suddenly intensified and changed to a light blue, almost white color. The next thing anyone knew, they saw multiple Aquas appearing around Ansem and his Guardian as they attacked in rapid succession, but Mira was the first among them all to realize that Aqua was not duplicating herself, but rather she was moving so fast that she was leaving afterimages as she attacked. Soon enough, Aqua had leapt into the air and shouted, "Command Style: Ghost Drive Finisher!"

What followed after was Aqua suddenly teleporting around Ansem in rapid succession and leaving spikes of bright energy around him as she did until he was completely surrounded. When Aqua next appeared in the air, she merely swung her Keyblade back as a sudden shockwave of light energy was released, causing the Guardian to disappear and Ansem to fall unconscious. With her attack completed, Aqua soon landed on the ground and allowed the glow of her Command Style to fade away as its energy finally disappeared. The Keyblade Master took a small moment to catch her breath before she jogged up to Ansem in order to capture him or at least get some more answers from him.

Just as she was about to reach him though, Ansem began to rise up, and upon seeing Aqua coming towards him, he immediately fired an orb of dark magic at her. Having thought Ansem was defeated, Aqua was not expecting the sudden attack, and was thus caught completely off guard when it was launched at her, allowing the blast to hit her dead on. Mira was quick to react by firing a series of shots from her laser, but Ansem merely crossed his arms and formed a Dark Shield around him as he opened a Corridor of Darkness behind him. "Impressive," Ansem admitted to Aqua. "But not enough if you truly wish to stop us. Nothing you or any of your friends do can stop what we've already set in motion."

Aqua was able to raise herself up just in time to see the Heartless of Xehanort vanish into the Corridor of Darkness, and could not help but curse under her breath at the fact that the villain of the future had escaped her grasp. After using a quick healing spell to treat her injuries, Aqua accepted an offered hand up from Mira as she said, "Thanks for the assistance back there."

"Anytime Aqua," Mira nodded modestly. "But was that guy really who he said he was, and what was all that talk about the future?"

"It's a long story," Aqua replied as she pulled out her Wayfinder. "But I'm afraid we don't have time for it right now. I have to get in touch with Sora, Kairi, and the others right away."

Mira nodded and quickly moved to help her father and the guards lock up Angstrom and throw the Grounders out of the palace, leaving Aqua to close her eyes as she focused on the D-Link she shared with her fellow Keyblade Wielders. _"Well that was quick,"_ Ventus's voice remarked in her head as she soon felt his, Terra's, and Kairi's presences in her heart. _"Did you already take care of everything on Tangea or something?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, we did, but something else happened over here as well,"_ Aqua thought in reply.

Kairi and the others must have sensed the worry and fear in Aqua's voice as she thought that to them, and Kairi was quick to request that Aqua tell them everything that happened. Aqua merely nodded and began to recount the events that had transpired since she had spoken with Terra and Kairi.

* * *

 _"_ _What?! Ansem, Seeker of Darkness is behind this,"_ Kairi exclaimed when Aqua had finally finished her story.

 _"_ _Yes, at least that who he said he was,"_ Aqua replied.

 _"_ _Well judging by how you described him, it sounds like he was doing more than just claiming to be him. Still, this doesn't make any sense at all."_

 _"_ _I know,"_ Terra agreed. _"I mean, when I first met Ansem, he was anything but the type of person who would succumb to darkness. I doubt he would've become the ruler of Radiant Garden if that were possible."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I got that same impression from when we met him,"_ Ven agreed. _"What made him turn to that?"_

 _"_ _He didn't,"_ Kairi told them. _"Weren't you paying attention when Sora and I told you guys our history? In the future, Xehanort had split himself into a Heartless and a Nobody, and the Heartless stole Ansem the Wise's name to use as his own since Xehanort had become one of Ansem's apprentices after losing his memory. The strange thing is Xehanort was able to retain his original form even after splitting himself like that."_

Aqua thought over what Kairi said for a minute, knowing that from what Kairi and Sora had told them that it was impossible for someone to be turned into a Heartless and Nobody and still remain as they were, even if an artificial Nobody was used, until she suddenly gasped in realization and exclaimed, _"Unless he never really needed to! If this Ansem, Seeker of Darkness is from the future, and he has a partner, then wouldn't that mean that his partner is Xemnas, and that the original Xehanort of this time is still himself?"_

 _"_ _Yeah…Yeah that's right,"_ Kairi immediately exclaimed. _"With his Nobody and Heartless coming back from the future, Xehanort wouldn't necessarily need to split himself into the two, and even if he ended up having to do so anyway, the other two could simply rejoin themselves and become Xehanort in his place!"_

 _"_ _Uh guys,"_ Ven then interrupted. _"This is all really good to know, but if Ansem, Seeker of Darkness really has a partner, and none of the rest of us have encountered him while Ansem escaped from Aqua, then wouldn't that mean…"_

Ven did not need to finish his question for everyone to know what he was asking. "Oh Kingdom Hearts," Aqua whispered aloud and through the D-Link. "We've got to get to Planet Z, now! Buzz and Sora might be in trouble."

"W-what," Mira stuttered in surprised response to Aqua's sudden outburst, but the Keyblade Master did not respond as she simply grabbed Mira's hand and began racing towards the ship, leading the two to only be able to give a quick farewell to King Nova on the way out as they went.

 _"_ _We'll meet you guys on Trade World and then head directly for Planet Z. In the meantime, we'll just have to hope that Buzz and Sora will be alright until we get there,"_ Aqua told the others through the D-Link.

 _"_ _Don't worry,"_ Kairi reassured them just before the D-Link ended. _"If I know Sora, he'll be able to hang on long enough. Even if the odds are stacked against him, Sora never gives up on anything, or anyone."_

Aqua merely nodded through the D-Link as it ended, and upon seeing that she and Mira were right outside the Alpha One, she immediately told Mira to open the door and take off as soon as they were inside and buckled up. Mira was not really sure what had gotten Aqua so riled up all of a sudden, but if her earlier statement was anything to go by, and Buzz really was in trouble, she was not going to argue, so she did as Aqua said and immediately blasted off in the direction of Trade World. "Okay, you mind telling me what's going on," Mira asked as soon as they had left Tangea's orbit.

"Short version: Ansem was not alone in his efforts, and both he and his partner are the ones that my friends and I are after. Not only that, but that same partner is likely on Planet Z with Zurg right now, and is likely waiting for Buzz and Sora to come to them with a trap ready and waiting for them."

It may not have answered all of her questions, but it was definitely enough for Mira to open the thrusters to their maximum so that they would reach Trade World sooner. No one messed with a member of Team Lightyear without dealing with the whole team, especially in the case of their leader, and she was not about to let anyone hurt their friends either, a sentiment that she knew for a fact was shared with Booster and XR. Shortly after arriving at Trade World, she easily spotted Star Cruiser Forty Two in orbit and immediately brought the smaller craft into the ship's hangar bay before racing to the bridge with Aqua right behind her.

As soon as they reached the bridge, they saw that Booster, XR, and their respective Keyblade partners had already arrived and taken their seats. After giving a nod to each of them, Mira immediately jumped into her own usual seat on the bridge and immediately blasted off to the same destination that Buzz and Sora had gone off to: Planet Z, the home planet of Evil Emperor Zurg himself.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 8:**

 **Xehanort did indeed attempt to interfere with Sora and Kairi's Mark of Mastery Exam, and as a result, we nearly lost them both to darkness. However, the two proved that their lights were far stronger than any darkness that Xehanort possessed, and not only were they able to break free of the fallen Keyblade Master's trap, but they also discovered a new power within them that neither of them knew ever existed before. Somehow, during their attempts to break free of the trap, they had touched the spirits of the lost pupils of Eraqus, Masters Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, and that brief moment awakened a new and brighter light within them that they had never known the likes of before.**

 **Their quest accomplished, and their new power now in their hands, Sora and Kairi emerged from the deep spell of sleep that Naminé and I had cast upon them so that they may enter the sleeping worlds, and seeing as how well they had done in this great trial of theirs, I believe even now that my choice was clear. They both braved the Realm of Sleep and the dangers they encountered both there and in Xehanort's trap without ever faltering or succumbing to darkness, and as such, I was proud to inform them both that I had decided to grant them both the Mark of Mastery.**

 **This news was shocking to all who had gathered here in my tower for this test, but that surprise was soon replaced by joyous cheers and celebrations for the twos success, right to the point where Mickey had even insisted upon throwing the two a grand party in Disney Castle, to which the two happily agreed to after seeing how adamant my former apprentice was. I will admit that even I myself was happy to attend the celebration along with our other warriors of light, but I cannot help feeling that Sora and Kairi's encounter with their predecessors within the Realm of Sleep may serve as a sign of what is still yet to come.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Well how's that for a change? Both Sora and Kairi are full-fledged Keyblade Masters, as if I hadn't already implied that, and they have some sort of strange power that they have yet to awaken. What could this be? You'll find out soon enough, assuming I don't decide to be mean and make you wait forever before revealing it._**

 ** _Other than that, uh-oh, Ansem and Xemnas are the big bads from the future that are working with Xehanort, and not only that, but Sora and Buzz seem to be flying into a trap on Planet Z! Oh lyokoMARVELanime, why must you be so cruel to the characters in this way?!...If that's what you guys are thinking, then stop thinking it. Seriously, if you didn't see this whole walking into a trap thing coming then you're probably either nuts or just didn't watch Buzz Lightyear of Star Command when it was around. Well if you think it's going to stop with just a fight against Zurg and the last of those Buzz Lightyear bad guys that have shown up on Yen Sid's doorstep, then you've got another thing coming, because things are going to get really bad when they finally find out what Zurg's end game is._**

 ** _Buzz: Question. Why did you make the villains from my show in this chapter the Grounders and Angstrom? The Grounders I kind of understand because of how they've always been on an antagonistic front with Tangeans, but why Angstrom, the guy who only had two appearances in the show?_**

 ** _AN: Well I wanted a villain that had a personal connection to Mira, cause in case you haven't noticed, that's sort of been a kind of theme I've had going with the Buzz Lightyear villains; they've all had some kind of personal connection with each Ranger. Booster had Torque, who was supposed to be his first collar on Trade World, XR had XL, which I doubt that I really need to explain, you've got Zurg, again no explanation necessary, but when it came to Mira, it was a little harder to come up with an enemy for her, mostly because all of her enemies were the enemies of another member or the team in general. Angstrom was really the only one that could count as a direct arch enemy to Mira, given his past._**

 ** _Buzz: Oh, well, that makes sense. Well that does it for my questions, so onto the..._**

 ** _AN: Hey! That's my line, so I say it! HA! Payback! Onto the preview!..._**

 ** _At last we travel to Planet Z, as Buzz and Sora brave the terrors that await them on Zurg's homeworld. They'll encounter overwhelming armies of both Zurg's and Xehanort's, old enemies of both their pasts, and a shocking plot that may very well allow Zurg and Xehanort to plunge the Galactic Alliance into darkness, securing an alliance between the evil emperor and Xehanort once and for all, and destroying the two heroes and their friends and comrades in the process. Who will win, who will lose, and can the rest of their respective teams make it to them in time? The answers to these questions and more, next time._**

 ** _Buzz: Real mature on that little payback bit there._**

 ** _AN: Yeah, yeah whatever. So anyways..._**

 ** _AN &Buzz: Please read and review and see ya real soon!_**

 ** _AN: No seriously, please review, I haven't gotten any for this story for since Chapter 5._**


	9. To Infinity and Beyond!

_**AN: Hey so this chapter is a bit of a long one, so Buzz and I will try to keep this short.**_

 _ **Buzz: But that would also be because we are finally at the conclusion of the Galactic Alliance Arc, in which Sora and I finally get some action, and we see many other surprises as well. Not to mention some other things that many fans of my old show may remember seeing before.**_

 _ **AN: I know that you'll probably be telling me that some of the stuff in their had been done before, but that was kind of the point, in the sense that its the same adventure with a new twist that affects much more than just this world. Now then, this will be last time we see Buzz and the others in this much of a major role, so join us both in saying...**_

 _ **AN &Buzz: To Infinity, and Beyond!**_

 _ **AN: I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter IX**

Somewhere off in the Gamma Quadrant of Sector Twelve, Buzz and Sora were cruising through to Planet Z, and their inevitable confrontation with Evil Emperor Zurg, completely unaware of the information that their friends and teammates had just recently discovered beyond what Terra had first reported to the others earlier during that first use of the D-Link. The reason for why they were taking so long to get there was due to the fact that Buzz wanted to make absolutely sure that Zurg did not detect them before they could even land on the evil emperor's planet, so they were flying in as slowly and as far under the radar as possible. As they flew on, Buzz had taken the time to tell Sora about some of his adventures with Team Lightyear, and Sora had been hanging onto every word like an excited child hearing his favorite story. The most recent story being about the time when Zurg had captured one of the LGMs and the small Star Command personnel had wanted to do whatever they could to get in on the mission to save their friend.

"So after they all practically tried to crowd aboard your ship all at once, what'd you do," Sora asked.

"Well I reminded them that first of all, it was a rescue operation, not a revenge mission, and secondly I was in charge and I said that they couldn't go," Buzz replied.

"So you basically put your foot down on the matter?"

"Affirmative, my friend. There was absolutely, positively no way I was letting any of those LGMs on that mission," Buzz replied. He then went silent for a minute before he added, "Except for three of them."

"Really," Sora chuckled in amusement at the idea that Buzz Lightyear was forced to let three little green aliens talk him into letting them come on a mission they should not have been on.

"Basic rule of engagement: compromise," Buzz immediately defended, defiantly before he dropped his voice a bit. "You have no idea what I was up against. Those little guys are tenacious!"

Sora had to nod his head at that as he said, "If they're anything like the Moogles that my friends and I go to see whenever we need more potions, new equipment, and other stuff like that, I think I can relate. I swear, you ask for some fresh potions, elixirs, or anything like that, they don't have a problem giving 'em to you for a reasonable price, but ask for even the simplest weapon upgrade and they start trying to haggle like a pro!"

Both heroes had to shiver a bit at the thought of that, and Buzz then prepared to continue his story when the shuttle's sensors started to sound indicating that they were approaching their destination at last. Buzz then activated a camouflage system that he believed would allow them to slip onto Zurg's planet without him ever knowing they were there until it was too late, and then quickly, but quietly guided the ship passed Zurg's defenses and down onto the planet close to a massive, red tower with a large, yellow letter "Z" at the top, and a pair of horns on the sides of the tower that swept back. "There it is," Buzz nodded as he indicated the building. "Zurg Tower, the evil emperor's fortress itself."

"Yep, that's Zurg's place alright," Sora nodded in reply as they quickly slipped out of the ship and up to the building. "So how do we get in?"

"There's a few different ways to sneak in, but Zurg knows that I know a number of them, so he'll likely be watching them. There is one secret entrance that I've never been able to get into though, but that is mostly due to the fact that Zurg always carries the only key to that door on him at all times," Buzz informed Sora as he indicated a control panel on the wall with one hand.

Sora smirked at this as he summoned his Keyblade and said, "I think I can open it, and without blasting it open as well."

Buzz looked at Sora in surprise as he asked, "You have intergalactic lock picking training?"

"Better," Sora replied, and he then aimed his Keyblade directly at the lock, causing a beam of blue light to shoot out from the mystical weapon's tip, and into the panel. When the light dissipated, a loud clang was heard as the control disappeared into the wall, and the ground began opening up beneath their feet. "If he were one to actually worry about someone falling in through this door since it opens up under their feet, then it would be no wonder that Zurg keeps the key to this entrance on him at all times."

"Agreed," Buzz nodded to his spiky-haired partner as they both jumped down through the entrance and began making their way through the semi-darkened corridors that led them further into Zurg's fortress. They did their best to make sure that they would not be seen, right to the point where they found it necessary to hide even from a passing Grub just to be certain they remained undetected, until they finally found an entrance into the main section of Zurg's fortress.

"This door's sealed as well," Buzz observed after running a hand over the door's insanely complicated looking lock. He then reached for his wrist laser as he smirked, "I can open this though."

"Whoa, maybe we should avoid firing anything to give away the fact we're here for as long as possible," Sora exclaimed as he stopped Buzz from firing. He then summoned the Kingdom Key once again as he stated, "Besides, these things aren't called **Key** blades just because they look like giant keys, remember?"

Buzz could only scowl a little at the fact that he had forgotten about that little detail, and then offered a smile as he stepped aside and allowed Sora to use his Keyblade to open the door for them once again. A series of clicks and whirs greeted their ears as the door opened up for them, and they then found themselves admitted into a hallway that Buzz believed would lead them right into the center of Zurg's palace. Knowing that there was no time to lose before they were found out, Buzz and Sora immediately broke into a sprint down the hallway in an attempt to reach their destination before they were discovered, which led Sora to wonder aloud, "So how long do you think it will be before Zurg finds out we're here?"

He received his answer after they went through the doorway at the end of the hall and found a massive legion of Hornets waiting for them with their weapons charged and ready. "I'd say right about now," Buzz said in reply to Sora's question.

"Ah Kingdom Hearts," Sora cursed when he noticed the robots were also accompanied by Heartless and Unversed alike as well. The two legions then seemed to part a bit allowing the heroes to be able to gaze upon the one commanding their opponents, the evil emperor himself, and a man with pale blue skin, dark blue hair, and wearing a dark purple and red space suit that was similar to Buzz's and a robotic right arm.

"So we meet again, Buzz Lightyear. For the last time," Zurg snarled as he stood up from his throne.

"Not today, Zurg," Buzz retorted as he readied his laser while Sora assumed a ready stance with his Keyblade ready for action. "Especially not while my young friend here is by my side to ensure that your latest fiendish scheme will fail."

Zurg and the blue skinned man glanced at Sora for a minute before they both started to laugh as Zurg stated, "Oh no, Darkmatter! We'd better run for our lives! Lightyear has a little boy with a giant key backing him up!"

"What's the matter, Lightyear," the man that Zurg had identified as Darkmatter chuckled. "You taking in any random stray you can now, or is Star Command's recruiting level at an all-time low?"

Sora just rolled his eyes a bit, admittedly being a little annoyed by how the two villains were openly mocking him, but after being in a war between light and darkness for so long, he was able to keep himself calm and let the insults just roll over him, while Buzz stated, "Laugh now, Warp, but know this: while my friend, Sora would make a fine Space Ranger, he's already handling a greater responsibility. The responsibility of protecting all worlds in existence."

Sora then had to give a mental cheer at Buzz saying that he could be a Space Ranger before he glanced at Buzz and asked, "So I know that the robotic-like sissy up there is Zurg, but who's his friend that looks like he spent too much time in the freezer?"

Zurg and Darkmatter's laughing immediately ceased when they heard Sora's comments, but the two heroes ignored both villains' retorts as Buzz explained, "He goes by the name of Warp Darkmatter, and he used to be a Space Ranger for Star Command, as well as my partner and friend. At least, that's what we all thought until he faked his death, leading us all to believe that he had died in the line of duty, and then revealed himself to be a double agent that had been on Zurg's payroll ever since he and I were at the Space Ranger Academy."

"Aw Buzz, why leave out how I practically suckered some vital information out of you along with the fact that the next time we met, even if you didn't know it was me, I bested you move for move like you were just some rookie fresh out of training," Warp then quipped. "I mean, hearing you ignore such history is heartbreaking."

"Ya gonna cry," Sora retorted. "Cause I'll be more than happy to wait until after you finished before really giving you something to cry about."

"Please kid, like you could really be a threat to me or anyone in this room."

"Don't underestimate him, Darkmatter," a cool, even, yet still malicious voice suddenly rang out as a figure in a long black coat with white hair that was styled in a way similar to Terra's, and menacing, yellow eyes stepped into the light from a Corridor of Darkness. "Even if he is merely a false, inferior version, he is still the Keyblade Hero that had once bested many foes in the past."

Sora's eyes immediately widened in shock as he subconsciously lowered his Keyblade a bit before bringing it back up to point directly at the newcomer and snarling, "Xemnas! So you're the one who changed history!"

Xemnas chuckled a little before he replied, "Oh how little you understand, yet it is also amusing to think that even in that alternate future you come from, we have still encountered one and other. I can only assume from the fact that you're still here means that I had failed to end your existence in your timeline as well for some reason beyond my comprehension."

"What're you going on about now," Sora demanded.

"I am likely not the Xemnas you know, but rather, the one who remembers what it was like before my Heartless side and I came back to this time. One who was bested by the true Keyblade Hero."

Sora's eyes widened upon hearing this and he voiced his realization aloud, saying, "You're from the timeline that should've happened, and you're working with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness! Or should I say Xehanort's Heartless?"

"My, my; it seems that you are intelligent in the resulting future that we helped to bring about," Xemnas mocked, barely causing Sora to do anymore than let out a small growl in response. "But sadly, any plans you had to stop us will be in vain, as Zurg's grand plan is already about to bear its fruit."

"What do you mean by that, you fiend," Buzz demanded.

"I'm sure this looks a bit familiar, doesn't it Buzz," Warp asked as he indicated a monitor that was showing what looked like a massive laser cannon rising up from the roof of Zurg Tower.

"Well it should," Zurg chuckled. "After all, I used a similar apparatus to turn the LGMs' precious Uni-Mind into a terrifying weapon of evil that projected my own evil unto others, and which would've brought the entire Galactic Alliance under my control. Naturally you had completely ruined that plan, like the annoying, little goody-goodies you and your rookies all are and can't seem to stop being, but this time, you can't win, because I won't be taking over minds, but drowning the Galactic Alliance in darkness, all under my rule!"

"You mean that thing can cause Heartless and Unversed to appear anywhere in the Galactic Alliance until it's completely consumed by darkness," Sora exclaimed. "But if that happens, then your world will be destroyed to, and you along with it!"

"At this point, I really don't care," Zurg huffed as he crossed his arms. "I am sick and tired of always losing to Lightyear, and if I can't have the Galactic Alliance, then no one will! Well, no one except Xehanort, but that will only be because the galaxy will be enveloped in darkness and I'll have moved on to the greater galaxy of worlds beyond this one."

"How exactly is that supposed to work," Buzz then asked with strong skepticism in his voice, clearly trying to get as much information out of Zurg as he could before he and Sora went on the attack. "There's no way you can actually project darkness as a weapon like that."

"Why with this of course," Zurg stated as he indicated a massive chamber that seemed to be holding what looked like a large, dark orb that was pulsating with strange lightning and was giving off a feeling of despair, hopelessness, anger, and all other emotions that would be associated with darkness. "Concentrated pure dark energy, provided by one Master Xehanort, Ansem, and, of course, my compatriot here, Xemnas. With it powering my new Zurgatronic Dark Ray, no one will be safe from my wrath or the darkness!"

"We'll see about that," Sora shouted, and he then charged forward, swinging his Keyblade into every Hornet, Heartless, or Unversed that ended up in his path, making his way towards the concentrated dark energy that Zurg had indicated. Just as he was about to reach it though, something shot up from the ground and block his next swing with a dark silver weapon that Sora instantly recognized as the Void Gear Keyblade, and he knew of only one person to wield the weapon. Upon turning his gaze to the wielder, Sora found his suspicions confirmed as he saw the red and black body suit and masked figure of Vanitas himself standing before him.

"So you're supposed to be this big tough hero from the future that resulted from the old man's new friends showing up, huh," Vanitas asked in his usual voice that still gave Sora chills at how similar it sounded to his. "Man, when they said you weren't anything like the so-called 'real deal', I was kinda hoping you'd prove 'em wrong, but you seem like you're just as much an idiot as Ventus."

"Talk all you want," Sora retorted as he pushed Vanitas back with all his might before rushing the masked Keybearer with a powerful slash combo. "I've beaten you before in the future, and I can do it again just as easily!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it," Vanitas then challenged as he assumed his usual battle stance, daring Sora to do just as he had asked the Kingdom Key wielder to do. Sora then charged in and fired off a few rounds of Firaga at Vanitas, but the masked man was quick enough to teleport out of the way, leaving an afterimage in his wake, and then reappear behind Sora with a powerful slash that caught Sora off guard for a minute and caused him to stumble. Vanitas then took advantage of Sora's disoriented state, and immediately unleashed a few powerful strikes of his own before leaping into the air and launching a blast of dark lightning on the Keyblade Master of the future. Sora was extremely thankful that he was able to roll out of the way before the dark lightning had hit him, but he was quickly put on the defensive again when he had to cast Reflega in order to block and then repel the blast of dark energy orbs that Vanitas had fired from his Keyblade. He then prepared to charge once again, only to find his path impeded by Heartless and Unversed alike, giving Vanitas a clearly strong advantage over him, at least in terms of numbers.

Buzz was about to swoop over to help out his young friend, only to find himself intercepted by Warp, as the traitorous ex-Ranger transformed his robotic arm's hand into a blaster and immediately opened fire on him, scoring a few hits to Buzz's leg and arm before the Ranger was able to fly out of the way and return fire with his wrist laser. Buzz's attention was soon diverted from his former partner when Zurg's Hornets all opened fire on him, clearly leaving Sora to Vanitas, the Unversed, and the Heartless, but Buzz was not about to let that stop him, as he quickly unleashed a volley of laser fire upon Zurg's robotic henchmen, sparing a few shots to fire in Warp's direction, while jumping, rolling, and weaving around his enemies with precision and skill befitting that of a veteran Space Ranger with his experience.

Needless to say though, nothing either of the two heroes were doing would be enough for very long, and that proved to be quite true when a group of Hornets suddenly dog-piled on Buzz while some Heartless did the same to Sora, effectively capturing them both in each of their respective grasps, and holding the heroes at the mercy of their enemies. "An impressive attempt, Lightyear, on both your part and your little friend's," Zurg stated as he began mocking the two heroes once again. "But it would see that even with the little Keyblade boy here, you're nothing without your mighty team with you."

"Buzz Lightyear and Keyblade Master Sora may end here today, but what we believe in will live on. Hope, freedom, justice, and the light that never goes out," Buzz growled defiantly.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Even if we do somehow go down, you'll never win, Zurg, because we'll still keep fighting for the light no matter what!"

Zurg just laughed in response before he said, "Oh please spare me your little speeches! I mean what a hoot! Tell me you got all that."

"Got it," a group of Grubs that were working a video camera replied to their evil emperor, showing that Zurg was clearly documenting his supposed victory.

"Excellent! Add it to my collection," Zurg then ordered happily before turning his attention back to his arch-nemesis and the time-traveling Keyblade Master. "Besides, Mister Melodrama and Lightyear Junior, I'm not going to kill either of you. No, I have a much more delicious idea in mind. I'm going to take the galaxy's greatest hero, and a mighty Keyblade Master, and turn them into…creatures of darkness."

Buzz and Sora could only widen their eyes in shock, as Zurg had effectively stated that he intended to use his Zurgatronic Dark Ray on them, and make them into powerful Heartless in the process that would only serve to follow Xehanort's forces. As they were both forced to their feet, Buzz struggled to reach his arm before activating his wrist communicator. "Buzz Lightyear Mission Log: Final entry," Buzz said into the device.

"Uh, what're you doing," Sora asked in disbelief at what he was seeing and hearing from his childhood hero.

"Pfft, mission log," Warp replied with a light scoff and roll of his eyes. "He's a procedure nut, but it's not like anyone will be left to read his report when this is over."

Sora threw a quick glare in Warp's direction before bringing his attention back to Buzz, hardly believing that Buzz Lightyear, the greatest space hero he had ever known growing up, was actually giving up this easily. He continued to look on until he noticed that Buzz had a small, hidden smirk, indicating that Buzz might not have been giving up as easily as it had seemed he was. Sora was not entirely sure what it was that Buzz could smile about right now, but a minute later, he began to sense a familiar feeling that he would recognize anywhere, and had to give a hidden smirk of his own in response, knowing exactly what Buzz was doing now.

* * *

"Oh man, oh man, oh man," Booster moaned from his seat on Star Cruiser Forty Two. "I really hope we're not too late."

"Don't worry, we'll make it, Booster," Kairi assured the Jo-Adian.

"Yeah, this is Buzz and Sora we're talking about, remember," Mira then reminded her larger teammate. "Even if it seems like they're beaten, they always find a way out. Well, I mean that's how it is with Buzz, but if anything that Kairi's said about her boyfriend is any indication then Sora's the same way."

"He's not my boyfriend, he's my best friend," Kairi snapped as her face began to offset the color of her hair.

"Right and I'm Master Yen Sid," Terra quipped, getting a small laugh out of everyone on the bridge other than Kairi, including Aqua.

Kairi was about to retort when one of the control panels suddenly activated and Buzz's voice suddenly rang out. _"I don't know if anyone will read this final chapter, but I feel that I must give it all the same."_

"What is he talking about," Ventus asked.

"Shh, he's done this before," Mira whispered. "He wants Zurg to think that he's making a final mission log entry when he's actually sending us information on his situation."

 _"_ _As my young friend and I go to our doom, I feel that I must warn whoever I can of the impending danger that awaits the Galactic Alliance,"_ Buzz's voice continued on. _"The evil emperor has created a devastating weapon that when fired will cause the galaxy to drown in a dark force that is only escapable if some brave souls with a power unlike anything our galaxy has ever seen before can stop, for nothing can possibly spare any of us from this darkness that Zurg plans to cover the galaxy in. Perhaps if I had my team with me, or even my team and my friend's, then we would stand a chance, but for now…"_

"Sweat mother of Venus," Booster exclaimed. "Buzz and Sora need us now, and so does the rest of the Galactic Alliance."

"We'll never make it at this rate though," XR pointed out as he motioned to the readouts that indicated the Star Cruiser was already at maximum thrust.

Aqua then glanced around at the people of the bridge for a minute before she finally said, "Maybe not this way, but maybe if we tried a different route."

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking," Kairi asked with a small smirk.

"Yeah, good thinking," Aqua nodded.

Ven then looked at Terra and was about to ask something before Terra just said, "Don't try to figure it out. Girls speak a language that guys can't hope to understand without them explaining it to us."

Aqua just rolled her eyes at her taller friend before she began explaining what she had in mind to the others.

* * *

"Buzz Lightyear Mission Log, over and out," Buzz finally finished as he closed his wrist computer's cap and then gave one last defiant glare to Zurg before he and Sora were lifted up to where the ray gun was mounted. Sora could see the weapon angling down and zeroing in on them as it prepared to fire, but like Buzz, he did not lose his confident expression. A minute later, the ray began powering up, its energy building steadily, until both Space Ranger and Keyblade Master could see the beam racing down the barrel towards them. Just as it was beginning to reach them though, something blasted the Heartless of Sora before swooping him away while a pair of metal hands pulled Buzz out of the way as well.

Looking up, Buzz and Sora could see that a smiling XR, who was magnetized to the underside of the Alpha One, had managed to pull Buzz to safety, while Ventus had been the one to catch Sora with the aid of his Keyblade Glider, bringing grateful smiles to both of their faces as Sora said, "Nice timing you guys."

"Hot rockets," Booster cheered from the cockpit of the Alpha One, earning an amused chuckle of agreement from his current co-pilot, Terra.

The Hornets then suddenly sent an electric jolt through Buzz and into XR's arms, prompting Buzz to slam his fist onto the circular red button on his chest, activating his jet pack, and freeing him from the two robots' grasp. Sora then saw XR had been demagnetized from the Alpha One, and immediately leaped off Ven's Keyblade Glider so that he could summon his own and tell Ventus to go help XR, which Ven was more than happy to do as Sora raced off with Buzz towards Zurg and Xemnas.

Seeing that his arch-nemesis was freed, Zurg immediately spun to his best agent and shouted, "Darkmatter, kill Lightyear!"

As Warp activated his own jet pack and took off into the air, Xemnas looked to Vanitas and coolly ordered, "Deal with the Keybearers, but do not destroy them. We still need a few of them alive for the end game."

Vanitas nodded in reply, and then leaped into the air, jumping further and further up the walls with skills befitting of a ninja, until an orb of light suddenly came out of nowhere, struck him dead on, and sent him falling back to the ground. "What just…" Vanitas started to ask.

"Oh I'm sorry. Did that hurt," Kairi asked in a tone of false concern as she stepped forward and lowered Destiny's Embrace a bit, indicating that she had fired the light spell that had just hit Vanitas.

"Here, let me give you some ice for that," Aqua then called out as she too suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere and fired a Blizzaga at Vanitas, which the masked man barely had enough time to dodge before it hit him.

"Where did those two," Warp started to ask, but he was immediately cut off when one of the Hornets suddenly slugged him in the face, and sent him crashing back down to the ground. "Hey have you blown a circuit?!"

A minute later, the Hornet seemed to jolt and rattle a little, indicating that actually did just that right at the moment Warp had asked, and it then fell towards Warp as Mira ghosted out from inside of it. Warp let out a small, girlish yelp in surprise before he failed to get away before the Hornet Mira had just disabled landed on top of him, knocking him out cold. Shortly after taking a moment to mock Warp, Mira had flown over to the rest of her teammates, and the five Keyblade Wielders were quick to group up as well a minute later.

A quick glance in Zurg's direction told Sora that Buzz had gone directly after the evil emperor on his own, and he did not even get the chance to glance around the rest of the battlefield that they were all now in before he saw Zurg fire a large, tri-barreled gun at Buzz that knocked him out of the air, through the wall, and into another room. Feeling concerned for the Space Ranger, Sora looked to the others and said, "I'm going after Buzz, you guys do what you can here to keep that thing from firing, or at least send Mask-Boy running to Xehanort."

The other four nodded in response as Sora leapt into the air and summoned his Keyblade Glider so he could fly after Buzz more quickly, not noticing that Zurg and Xemnas had both disappeared around the same time that he had, and thus, the three Space Ranger rookies and four Keybearers were left to deal with the entirety of Zurg's forces, Warp, Vanitas, and a massive amount of Heartless and Unversed. As soon as Vanitas was on his feet again, he snapped his fingers and three massive white, black, and red Unversed suddenly appeared above them before combining into one massive monster.

"The Trinity Armor," Aqua gasped in shock. "I thought that we beat that thing back in Radiant Garden!"

"Guess it's like the Guard Armor Heartless in the sense that you need to beat it twice before it gets the hint," Kairi commented as she assumed a battle stance alongside the other three.

Terra was about to say something in reply, but that was before he spotted Vanitas trying to slip away, and he knew that he could not let the boy just slip out that easily. "Guys, I'm going after Vanitas, can you handle this," Terra asked.

"Don't worry, we've beaten it before, and we can do it again," Ven nodded confidently.

"You're the one who should be careful though," Aqua warned, making Terra think that she was giving him a mild threat in reference to his dark powers again. At least, that was what he was thinking until the blue haired woman said, "Vanitas is a lot tougher than he looks and dangerous and unpredictable as well. Trust me, Ven and I have both fought him before, so we should know. Don't let your guard down for a minute."

Terra could only stare at Aqua in surprise, truly being astonished at how concerned she sounded in reference to him, so it was only natural that he could do nothing more than nod in response with a small smile before taking off after the masked boy. He did not have to go very far before he was standing directly in Vanitas's path with his Keyblade readied for battle, which only seemed to draw a small chuckle from Vanitas in response as he said, "The old man thinks you're supposed to be some big, tough warrior of darkness that will be able to help his grand plans somehow, ya know. But unlike you, I embrace the darkness proudly and without fear, so I think you can understand why you have no chance against me."

Terra merely snarled at Vanitas a little before he felt the energy of his new Dark Impulse Command Style build up and then release itself as it manifested around his body and Keyblade while he challenged Vanitas's claim saying, "Well why don't we test that to know for sure, brat."

Terra may not have been able to see it, but Vanitas was now smirking under his mask at the chance to fight against Terra, the one guy that Xehanort had flat out refused to let him fight, no matter what. Of course, that did not mean he was going to just run away from Terra's challenge, because if he was being honest with himself, he was not going to listen to Xehanort on that matter anyways like how he had not listened to the old Keyblade Master on many other matters in the past. With that decision made, Vanitas was quick to immediately charge in and meet Terra's dark energy empowered Keyblade with his own with a powerful clang of metal that released a mild shockwave when they collided, indicating that the battle Terra was about to face was sure to be a difficult one.

* * *

As she stared up at the massive opponent before her, Kairi was admittedly quite glad that Aqua and Ventus were with her in the battle against such a massive monster. It was not that she did not think she could fight it alone, but rather she was happy to have some form of backup all the same since she did not believe for a second that it would be an easy battle if she did fight it by herself. As she rolled away from the Trinity Armor's massive fist, she did find her gaze wandering towards where Sora and Buzz had disappeared mere minutes ago, and she found herself worrying a little for her fellow time-traveler. It was already taking everything she had to keep herself from going after him on her own while the others were left to deal with this mess, but as Sora and Buzz continued to not reappear, her worries had began to increase just as much, and she knew that she could not stand to wait for much longer.

With her resolve settled on that fact, Kairi looked to Ventus and Aqua and shouted, "You guys, we need to finish this now!"

"Agreed, and I know of one sure fire way to do it," Aqua stated before she turned to Ventus. "Ven, you take the arms while I deal with the main body and Kairi destroys the legs on this thing, and don't hold anything back!"

Ventus was able to catch Aqua's meaning with no problem, and then nodded as he began to build up energy inside of him before he finally unleashed it as the faint, white glow of his Fever Pitch Command Style. A quick glance in Aqua's direction told Ventus that the blue haired Keyblade Master was doing the same, as her body was soon enshrouded by the purple glow of her Spell Weaver Command Style, and after looking towards Kairi, Ven could see that the auburn haired girl had a shocked expression on her face at what she was seeing from the two, but he quickly disregarded this and went to work slashing at the arms at his speeds while Aqua floated up off the ground and struck the center of the Trinity Armor with a barrage of spells and magic blasts from her floating Keyblade.

Kairi eventually brought herself out of her shocked state as she charge in at the legs of the large Unversed, and began slashing away at it with all she had until she was eventually brutally kicked back by their opponent. Ven and Aqua both looked at Kairi with worry for a minute until they saw that Kairi's body seemed to be giving off a faint glow as she cried out a phrase neither of them had heard before. "Master Form, drive on!"

An instant later, a bright light engulfed the Princess of Heart, and when it finally faded, Ven and Aqua saw that Kairi's outfit had changed from its usual colors and become so that nearly her whole outfit was colored in a steel silver and violet pattern with three black crosses arranged in a fancy, overlapping pattern on the center of her dress, while pale violet sparkles seemed to radiate and create a small streak behind her as she rushed back into battle, but the most shocking thing about this new form that Kairi had taken on was that she was now wielding _two_ Keyblades at once, and her second one was colored green and tan, with a set of wings above the guard, and teeth that looked like a pan flute, with a Keychain that looked like a red feather.

They were brought out of their musings when Kairi reached the massive Unversed with her second Keyblade seemingly being controlled telekinetically, and then suddenly seemed to be lifted into the air as she lashed out with both Keyblades, throwing everything she had at the Unversed's legs as she did, whether it be melee attacks or even a barrage of spells that Ven had only seen Aqua be able to execute so effectively. Eventually, the two brought their attention back to their respective targets, and with the combined efforts of the three powered-up Keybearers, the Trinity Armor quickly fell like a building block tower.

The group then turned to where Team Lightyear was fighting just in time to see Booster pancake a number of Hornets while XR unleashed a massive barrage of laser fire from his multiple guns, allowing Mira to use her ghosting powers to disable whichever ones were left, that is if she did not blast them with her wrist laser first. Seeing that they had now effectively stopped Zurg's army and that the three Keyblade Wielders had also finished dealing with their opponent, Mira said, "Okay, so I guess now we go help Terra finish with that Vanitas guy and then go after Buzz and Sora, right?"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Aqua replied as she noticed Heartless beginning to surround them. Thinking quickly, Aqua and Ventus immediately unleashed the power that they needed to unleash their respective Tier Two Command Styles, while Kairi simply raised both of her Keyblades up in readiness for battle. Aqua took a moment to spare Kairi and the red head's new attire a glance before she finally asked, "Kairi, what exactly did you do a minute ago? What is that form?"

"It's one of my Drive Forms. Sora has some too, but I don't really think now's the best time to explain the details of them," Kairi quickly replied as she reminded Aqua of the situation. "We'll exchange fighting ability notes after this is over, okay?"

Aqua nodded in agreement with this, and with that, the group was quick to get back into action as they rushed the Heartless that they were facing.

* * *

Terra had quickly learned that Aqua was not kidding when she said that Vanitas was a tough opponent, because if he were being honest with himself, the kid seemed like he was a master at combat given how random and seemingly impossible some of his abilities were. While many of Vanitas's attacks were similar to how he fought while utilizing his Dark Impulse Command Style, Terra was still not able to fully control the dark power of his newest Command Style all that well nor was he able to keep using it for very long, so that gave Vanitas an advantage over him when Terra had to let the energy fade after a while every now and then. Not to mention there was the fact that Vanitas was also more agile and faster than him, so Terra could easily see why the masked boy was a much more difficult opponent for him than said boy was for Aqua and Ventus, given how many of Terra's attacks were more about power than speed while his magic skills were normally only limited to healing, magnet, and what little he knew of dark magic.

Despite all this, Terra was not about to let Vanitas win, as he saw it as merely another version of the fight he had against a man by the name of Braig back in Radiant Garden. With that in mind, it was only a matter of time before Terra was able to match Vanitas to the point where it did not take long for him to be able to activate his Command Style again much more easily.

Terra was about to move in for a final blow, when the sudden sound of the Trinity Armor being defeated reached his ears along with the sounds of Heartless coming forth from the shadows. "Looks like your little friends might need some help," Vanitas smirked beneath his mask. "You gonna be a man and finish this, or are you gonna be a sissy and run off to help them?"

Terra only glared at Vanitas before he raced off towards the others as he shouted, "That's an easy choice. Especially since I'll never be a man like you or Xehanort."

Vanitas merely stood there watching Terra go to help the others for a minute before he finally scoffed and summoned a Corridor of Darkness to disappear into as he said, "We'll just see about that. After all, the future is always changing, even if some of it is set in stone."

* * *

Buzz let out a small groan as he finally regained consciousness after an unknown amount of time, and the first thing he noticed was that a very concerned Sora was standing over him with a worried look in his eyes. When the spiky haired boy noticed that Buzz was finally awake, he immediately asked, "Are you okay, Buzz?"

"Ship-shape my friend," Buzz replied with a small thumbs-up. "How long was I out?"

"Don't know," Sora shrugged. "But from the sound of things, I'd say that the others either really need our help or they're just finishing up with the last of their opponents."

"Well we've got other things to worry about at the moment," Buzz stated as he opened his wrist computer once again. "Mira, Booster, XR, can any of you read me? I don't think Sora and I can make it back in time. It's up to you, Aqua, Terra, Ven, and Kairi to stop Zurg's weapon now. Good luck."

Buzz had just closed his wrist computer when the sound of a weapon charging reached both his and Sora's ears. When they both turned around, they were immediately knocked back by a powerful laser blast that caused a lot of the ceiling to suddenly begin to collapse. The debris would have landed on top of them had Buzz not fired his laser at each of the larger, more threatening chunks while Sora shot off a few Blizzard spells at the ones that Buzz had missed or that were heading directly towards him.

Sora had just managed to get back to his feet when he suddenly had to raise his Keyblade up in a defensive position to block one of Xemnas's Ethereal Blades before it could slice him in half. "You have certainly proven that you are indeed strong, but you are still a pale imitation of the true Keyblade Hero. You cannot hope to beat us."

"You know he's right," Zurg's voice called out from the shadows as Buzz rose to his feet. "Give it up, Lightyear. We have won."

"Shows what you guys know," Sora retorted. "There's no way we're letting you destroy this world, and I'll show you exactly why I earned the Mark of Mastery!"

"Sora has the right spirit, but there is one more important reason why your plans will fail, Zurg," Buzz then added in a slightly menacing voice. "Evil. Never. Wins."

Zurg's response to this was to fire on Buzz with consecutive shots while the space hero evaded all of the blasts with ease, neither of them ever completely registering how Sora pushed Xemnas back and then began to race around the Superior of the In-Between as he threw out spell after spell and slash after slash. Eventually, Zurg's blast ceased when Sora shouted something that no one was able to clearly hear over the din of the battle that had erupted and caused the room to be lit up with a bright light that forced Zurg to command that the lights be turned on full so that he could see what happened, and when he and Xemnas did see, they were shocked to say the least.

"What's wrong? Afraid of a little light, Zurg," Buzz asked as he stepped forward with Sora by his side, only now, the Keyblade Wielder had taken on a sudden change. Instead of his usual black and red attire, his outfit had changed into one that had a yellow and black color scheme with three black crosses arranged in a fancy, overlapping pattern on his pants, but the most surprising thing was that he was not only wielding a second Keyblade, which was black and dark grey with anchor shaped teeth, a guard shaped like a sailing ship's helm, and possessed a Keychain that was gold with image of a skull in the center, but he was also controlling it telekinetically.

Zurg was not about to take any chances on letting Sora's sudden change of forms take him and Xemnas down, and he quickly raised his weapon to fire, but before he could pull the trigger, a laser blast knocked it out of his hand, and a fair distance away from him, while a blast of ice forced Xemnas to reel his arm back before it was frozen solid. The two immediately looked to the source to see Mira, Kairi still in her Master Form, and Aqua still utilizing her Ghost Drive Command Style standing above them with the Tangean's hand on her wrist laser as she said, "Not today, Zurg."

"And that goes double for you as well, Xemnas," Kairi added with a determined look.

Zurg then spun around to try and run for his weapon, only to see Booster crush it in his bare hands and then toss it to a battle worn Terra, who immediately slashed it apart with his Keyblade. Both villains then spun around again to see Buzz slowly approaching them with his laser ready, and Sora doing the same with his Keyblades readied as well. Their attention was then brought back to the three girls as they jumped down onto the floor with the others, Keyblades and wrist laser ready as Mira started off by saying, "Evil Emperor Zurg…"

"Xemnas, Superior of the In-Between," Aqua then added.

"By the authority of Star Command and of the Keyblade," Kairi then continued.

"Section Five, Sub-Section Zeta! That's the one about the Evil Emperor," Booster informed Terra as he referenced the Space Ranger Manuel.

"Really, you don't say," Terra smirked in response.

"You are both…" XR started as he lowered himself and Ventus down onto the floor, completely encircling the two villains as Ventus jumped off the robot and spun his Keyblade around in his hand as his Wingblade Command Style glowed brightly.

"Under arrest," Ventus finally finished as he held Wayward Wind at the ready.

"Like I said before and will continue to say again and again; evil. Never. Wins," Buzz commented as all them continued silently daring either of the two villains to make a move that would give them reason to attack. It truly seemed the mission Sora and Kairi had set out on was likely going to come to a much quicker end now that they had captured Xemnas, but sudden flash from above the tower drew everyone's attention as a black beam of energy shot out into space, driving their attention away from Zurg and Xemnas long enough for them both to disappear into a Corridor of Darkness that had suddenly appeared next to them.

Everyone glanced around for a minute until a number of monitors suddenly displayed Zurg's face as the evil emperor shouted out, _"You failed, Lightyear! With that one shot, the Zurgatronic Dark Ray has now doomed Capital Planet to fall into darkness, and with its fall, the Galactic Alliance will quickly follow! No matter what you do now, you cannot begin to hope to save this universe from my newfound power, or that of Xehanort's. Evil rules!"_

Zurg's evil laugh rang throughout the room until all of Team Lightyear finally silenced it by blasting every single monitor in the room that Zurg was using to boast of his apparent victory, but even then, it seemed like it was still echoing throughout the tower. After glaring at the monitors for a minute, Ven eventually fell to his knees as he asked, "After all that work, after stopping all those guys, have we really failed to save this world from falling into darkness, and stopping Xehanort from getting an additional army?"

"No. We're not done yet," Buzz immediately replied. He then spun around to face his team as he ordered, "Booster and XR, get back into the control room and take Warp into custody along with any other known offender that Zurg has here. Mira, you're with me."

The Rangers immediately saluted their commanding officer in reply before blasting off to their assigned jobs, leaving the five Keyblade Wielders amazed at their determination to keep trying until they had nothing left to give. After a minute, Terra finally gained a determined look of his own as he said, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not gonna just stand here while Booster and the others do everything they can to save their world from an evil that we should be stopping."

"I couldn't agree more," Aqua replied. "I'm not letting Mira and her friends lose their entire world."

"Same here. XR and the others have all done so much to protect their universe, so we can't let all their hard work go to waste," Kairi agreed. Ven immediately nodded in agreement as well, feeling that Terra and the others had already voiced the same sentiments he was feeling.

"And we won't," Sora suddenly said, gaining the team of Keybearers' attention as he turned to face them. "Aqua, Terra, go backup Booster and XR in case Xemnas, Ansem, or even Vanitas stuck around to give anyone of Zurg's thugs a get out of jail free card. Ven, Kairi, you guys are going after Buzz and Mira with me."

"Hey, you can't just go and give all of us orders like this forever you know," Terra suddenly pointed out to the younger Keyblade Wielder.

"The hell I can't. I'm a Master," Sora then stated as he led Ven and Kairi off after Mira and Buzz. Terra and Aqua just looked at one and other in slight shock for a minute before they finally shrugged and went to carry out Sora's orders.

* * *

Buzz and Mira were both standing just a short distance away from the orb of concentrated dark energy, but they were not able to get much closer because they could feel every drop of darkness within it bearing down on them in all its furry. "Buzz, what exactly are we supposed to do to this thing, especially if we can't even get close to it," Mira finally asked.

"If my scanners were accurate, then this thing is similar to the LGMs' Uni-Mind, in the sense that its energies are influenced by a simple touch, so maybe…just maybe, if we can get close enough…"

"It won't work," a voice suddenly shouted out, and the two Rangers both spun around to see Sora, Kairi, and Ventus racing towards them, all back in their normal states. When they finally came to a stop next to the two Space Rangers, Sora continued on from what he was saying before by adding, "Even if you were to try to alter this thing, Buzz, it wouldn't make much difference. This is a kind of darkness that is far too much for just anyone to overpower. Now in the case of two Keyblade Masters, one of which is also a Princess of Heart, and a Keyblade Wielder with a heart of pure light, there is a much more likely chance."

With that said the three of them quickly summoned their Keyblades and aimed directly at the dark orb before they fired off a beam of light energy from the tips of each of their Keyblades. The minute the beams hit the orb, a sudden flash of light suddenly lit up a small section of it and then began to slowly spread across the orb as it drowned out the darkness within it.

"You're doing it," Mira exclaimed as she saw that the orb was now nearly completely one of light.

"Power of good is a strong thing, Mira," Buzz told his co-pilot.

"Not only that, but no matter how dark things get, there's always a powerful light deep inside that will never go out," Sora added proudly. Unfortunately, the celebrations were all premature, as the light that was spreading through the orb of concentrated darkness suddenly retreated back down to where it had originated from until it blasted the three Keyblade Wielders that were putting it in away.

"You guys all felt that, right," Ven asked as he managed to get up onto his knees.

"Unfortunately," Kairi moaned in confirmation.

"Zurg wasn't kidding when he that this was concentrated pure darkness," Sora groaned as he stood up again. "This thing is nothing but darkness right to its core."

Buzz and Mira then exchanged a small look at hearing this before the latter of the two activated her jet pack and grabbed the three as she said, "Then let's get you three to the core."

"Wait, you're gonna ghost _all three_ of _us_ ," Sora exclaimed in disbelief at what Mira was clearly about to do, but they did not have any time to protest as Mira had already started pushing them through the orb's surface and into its core as she said she was going to. When Mira finally managed to push them through, a sudden burst of energy blasted her back and into Buzz's arms before they both looked back at the orb in worry.

"Kairi, Ven, Sora," Buzz called out.

He received no response until the orb suddenly released a brilliant flash of light which then expanded outward in a manner not unlike an explosion as three familiar voices cried out in unison, "My friends are my power!"

* * *

Xemnas, Ansem, and Vanitas could only look on with slightly dissatisfied looks as the wave of light flew out across the Galactic Alliance, eliminating all forms of darkness that Zurg had unleashed with his weapon. Eventually though, Vanitas broke the silence between the three as he shrugged and said, "Oh well. Can't say that Horn-Head didn't try."

"True, but he promised to give us more Heartless for our forces along with the addition of his own," Ansem reminded them.

"Yes, and now he works for us and Xehanort until he does," Xemnas pointed out. "The Keyblade Wielders may have saved this world from falling into darkness, but they were not able to prevent us from achieving our primary goal of adding Zurg's forces to our own."

The three had to smirk with pride at that comment, and with the feeling of their work being finished in this world now settled firmly within them, they departed from the Galactic Alliance through a Corridor of Darkness without anyone noticing unless they were meant to.

* * *

Everyone was tense as they looked on at the orb, as Sora, Kairi, and Ventus had shown no signs of so much as being alright since the wave of light had been dispersed across the galaxy. Booster was holding XR so tightly in anxiety that the little robot thought for sure that he would be crushed in his friend's arms, while Terra and Aqua could only pray for their friends and wait with baited breath. Eventually, someone's patience came to an end, or rather two peoples patience did.

"We're going in," Buzz shouted as he and Mira flew towards and then into the orb that was now of concentrated pure light, much to the shock of Terra, Aqua, Booster, and XR.

"They're both goners," Warp smirked from where he was handcuffed.

"They'll make it," Terra whispered softly. "Ven…Sora…Kairi…I know they'll all be okay. I believe in them."

Aqua smiled a little upon hearing this, before her expression turned to worry once again as she moaned, "Come on Mira. Hurry!"

A few minutes passed, and everyone's nerves were now through the roof, until finally, a faint blue glow appeared on the orb, and Buzz and Mira blasted out of it with Ventus, Sora, and Kairi all held securely in their grasps. The sight of the five heroes emerging safely from the once dangerous orb elicited cheers of joy and excitement from their friends, right to the point where Terra and Aqua both grasped each other in a tight hug. As soon as they realized what they were doing though, the two former students of Eraqus immediately broke apart with light blushes on their faces, sputtering murmured apologies as they did.

Shortly after that, Team Lightyear was exchanging friendly handshakes with the five Keyblade Wielders in thanks as Buzz stated, "We owe you five a debt that I don't think that we will ever be able to repay, but know that if any of you ever need anything, you won't have to ask if you feel that you need our assistance."

"I think we'll hold you to that, Buzz," Sora quipped in reply as a wide grin reached his face, eliciting chuckles from both teams.

"What just happened," Zurg's voice demanded as the evil emperor suddenly reappeared before them all in person. "Please tell me that little explosion was a sign of evil and darkness destroying all that is good!"

"No actually it was a sign of victory. Freedom and the light's victory," Buzz corrected as he smirked up at Zurg.

Zurg growled in barely suppressed rage for a minute until he finally shouted, "CURSE YOU BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!"

"And…" Buzz asked as he cast a glance in the Keyblade Wielders' direction.

"Okay, I am not cursing all five of these people, so you'll just have to settle for one of them. Like whoever is the leader or their strongest member, or whatever!"

"What do you think guys," Ven asked as he looked amongst the others.

"I think it's pretty obvious who the leader and the best was today," Terra replied.

"No doubt about that," Aqua nodded in agreement as she and the others all turned to look at the spiky haired individual they were all thinking of.

Sora just looked at his fellow Keybearers in confusion for a minute before he raised an eyebrow and pointed to himself, eliciting nods of confirmation in response. He then gave a small grin before turning to face Zurg again as he proudly declared, "Hey Zurg! You got your guy right here! My name…is Master Sora of the Keyblade!"

"Yes, yes, good for you, pleasure to meet you and all, but still CURSE YOU TOO SORA!"

Everyone had to have a laugh at Zurg's misfortune, but all the same, Aqua still had to quietly ask Kairi, "Do you think we made any kind of difference in the future?"

Kairi glanced at the four new friends that they had made who made up Team Lightyear, and had to smile a little at the fact that while they more than likely could not stop Xehanort from gaining Zurg as an ally, they were still able to complete their mission with success by discovering new allies that could help in the good fight. With this in mind, Kairi had to smile as she confidently stated, "Unless Naminé tells us otherwise in the next few minutes, I'd say that we most certainly did."

* * *

The battle against Zurg's forces of evil and the villains that were acting as his generals was not going well for the defenders of Yen Sid's tower, as the Heartless were now joining the battle driving everyone to fight with everything they had, including Mickey and Roxas, who had already summoned out both his Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades so that he could fight at his fullest. Unfortunately, even the former Key of Destiny and the king of Disney Castle were soon having trouble holding back their opponents as Zurg and Warp stepped up to them both, confident in their victory. "So any last words before we finish you and the rest of your forces off," Zurg asked.

"Perhaps his majesty here would like one last piece of cheese," Warp added, mockingly.

"Oh so just because I'm a mouse, that automatically means that I must like to have cheese with everything or something? I mean really, how prejudiced can you be to someone," Mickey retorted with a huff.

"Eh…so you don't like cheese," Zurg asked in slight confusion.

"Of course I like cheese, but that's not the point," Mickey replied. "The point is this isn't over yet, and we'll never let you win!"

"Hate to break it to ya, little mouse, but we've already won," Warp retorted. He then looked at Roxas and asked the blonde, "So, you got anything you want to say in addition to that, kid?"

"Give me a minute, I'm thinking," Roxas growled.

He did not have to think long, as someone else answered for him with a shout of, "Team Lightyear to the rescue!"

An instant later, Zurg's forces and the villains that he and Warp had brought with them were assaulted by a barrage of laser fire, and Buzz, Mira, and XR swooped down firing everything they had and more at their enemies while Booster flew higher above them before deactivating his jet pack and landing on top of some enemies while releasing a small shockwave that disoriented some others. After driving Zurg and Warp away from Mickey and Roxas, Buzz landed before the two Keybearers and saluted as he said, "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command; we come in peace, and we're here to help, your majesty."

Mickey smiled happily as he jumped up and said, "Glad to have you and your team with us, Buzz. Now let's get 'em!"

"Wow, and I thought Kairi was just joking when she said that King Mickey was a mouse," XR muttered to Mira.

"And yet strangely enough, that's not the most unusual thing we've seen since we got here," Mira replied as she continued firing on both Hornets and Heartless alike.

From where they were watching the battle Yen Sid and Naminé both had to smile at the sight that proved once and for all that Sora and Kairi had in fact succeeded and even the battle once again for the moment, and they could now only hope that they were able to complete the rest of their mission.

* * *

Sometime after a quick meal at one of the Galactic Alliance's most popular restaurants, at Team Lightyear's insistence, the five Keybearers were once again armored up and flying on to wherever their next destination may be. As soon as they had made it through the world barrier, Aqua looked to Sora and Kairi as she stated, "Before we do anything else, I think we should probably teach you guys how to use the Command Styles, as well as compare any combat skills and abilities that we all have so that we won't be caught by surprise after seeing something any of us can do in the near future."

Sora and Kairi both nodded in agreement at this, which led Sora to state, "That would definitely be a good idea. I mean, you guys probably know how to do a lot of things that Kairi and I have never learned about or even heard of before, so adding some new abilities to our arsenal would be a big help alone."

"Well the only thing is, we don't exactly have a good place to really train them for real," Terra suddenly cut in. "The Land of Departure is in no shape to serve as a training ground, and Mirage Arena is a little too far out of the way for us."

Everyone went silent for a minute before Ventus finally exclaimed, "Maybe there is someplace that we could train them, and it's really close by too! Not only that, but from what I've heard, it's a place where a lot of heroes have gone to get the best of training."

At hearing Ventus mention the word heroes, all four of the other Keyblade Wielders knew exactly where he was talking about, and had to let small grins reach their faces in excitement as Sora declared, "Then what're we waiting for? Let's get going!"

The group immediately accelerated towards their next destination, with Aqua, Ventus, and Terra taking the lead since Sora and Kairi were not entirely sure how much different the route to their destination was in comparison to the route in the future. As they were flying though, Kairi had to lean over to Sora and say, "You know, even if we're not going where you and I think we're going, I know you just want to see that world again just for the sake of seeing it."

"Well can you blame me, especially after how it was one of the most recent worlds to have fallen to darkness in the future, and the fact that it's also where…" Sora let the end of that sentence hang for a minute, knowing that Kairi would be able to know what he meant, and Kairi found that she could only nod in response as she felt the same way that Sora felt on that particular matter.

They were both stirred from their thoughts when Ventus shouted out, "Hey you guys; hurry it up! If you slow us down anymore it'll be your present day by the time we finally get there!"

Sora and Kairi both smirked in response to Ven's impatience, and immediately accelerated forward to catch up. When they had, Sora suddenly thought of something and said, "Hey you guys, there's something that I want to say real quick before we can really consider our last mission finished, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Terra nodded.

"What is it, Sora," Aqua asked, wondering what Sora could possibly need to say that would allow them to consider their job in the Galactic Alliance finished.

Sora had to grin excitedly while Kairi rolled her eyes in amusement, already knowing what her long-time best friend was thinking, and yet still more than happy to let him do it anyway. With all the confirmation to go ahead he needed given, Sora turned to look straight ahead as he accelerated to top speed and shouted out, "To Kingdom Hearts…and beyond!"

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 9:**

 **While I was admittedly a bit hesitant to allow Sora and Kairi to retain the power of their Drive Forms after they had both achieved the Mark of Mastery, I quickly found that it was the right decision, given how often they had both made it through many situations because of those powers. When the Drive Forms were first bestowed upon the two, it was meant as a small boost in power that they would require since there was no time for them to learn anything new before they had to embark on their journey to defeat Organization XIII's plans at the time, and also to help Kairi in her training so that she would be close to the same level as Sora, given that she had not quite reached that point just yet.**

 **I still remember the looks on their faces when they first activated their original Drive Forms, Sora's being that of Valor, and Kairi's being of Wisdom. While each of the two forms granted them spectacular abilities in one field of battle while forcing them to give up another field completely, they were both able to overcome those limitations with every use of the forms, and were soon able to unleash powers that allowed them to combine the powers of both. It is a slight shame that Kairi was not able to obtain the power of the Limit Form as Sora did, but given how they each have all of the other forms at their disposal, I would not consider it a great loss.**

 **That being said, it would seem that the new powers that they now possess after completing their Mark of Mastery Exam has actually strengthened their abilities to utilize these spectacular forms, as they are now able to unleash any of their Drive Forms' powers on their own without the aid of another ally. This is truly a power that I am certain will be of great aid to them in the days that are to come, for the war between Light and Darkness is not showing any signs of ending soon, and I fear that there may be even more dangerous powers at work than any of us realize.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Well there you have it. Xehanort may still have Zurg as an ally, but our heroes have now evened things out with the addition of Team Lightyear to the forces of the light._**

 ** _Buzz: That little bit there at the end where Sora said a modified version of my line was an impressive touch, but I gotta say, this reminds me an awful lot of the pilot movie to my series._**

 ** _AN: Well like I said, it was intended to be that way, because the movie was just so great, in my opinion, so how can one really say that I wouldn't try to incorporate some of it into this part of the story?_**

 ** _Zurg: What I'd like to know is why I barely got to do anything even in the chapter where I was the main focus villain!_**

 ** _AN: What's he doing here? And he does know that Warp was in the chapter as well, right?_**

 ** _Buzz: Well he is Zurg, so this kind of thing is a bit expected of him._**

 ** _Zurg: Why you! Don't talk about me like I'm not even in the room, or I'll blast you all into..._**

 ** _Buzz: May I? [AN gestures to go ahead] DAH! WHINING EVIL EMPEROR! [Buzz hits control]_**

 ** _Zurg: [Gets catapulted from the studio] CURSE YOU BUZZ LIGHTYEAR AND LYOKOMARVELANIME!_**

 ** _AN: Haha, you just can't ever get tired of hearing that, huh?_**

 ** _Buzz: Nope. Well I suppose that this is it for my special guest appearances, at least here in the author's notes. It's been an honor and a pleasure my friend._**

 ** _AN: The honor was all mine, Buzz [shakes hands with Buzz before Buzz blasts off to his next adventure] Well, now that the Galactic Alliance arc is finished, we'll be heading out to another world next time, but before we get into that or the preview, I want to address one thing real quick. Kairi having Drive Forms. In case you missed it from the Yen Sid Report, Kairi has all the same Drive Forms that Sora did in Kingdom Hearts II except for the Limit Form, but information beyond that you will have to go back and read in the Yen Sid report._**

 ** _Also, the Keyblades that Kairi and Sora used with their respective Master Forms are Fairy Harp for Kairi and Follow the Wind for Sora. So if there's nothing else to address, Onto the Preview!..._**

 ** _The five Keyblade Heroes travel to the world of Olympus Coliseum, bringing about encounters with more people that Sora and Kairi have met before and another individual that they have not. After a quick meeting with the old friends, the group begins to exchange information regarding their respective combat skills, ranging from the various Command Styles and Shot Locks, to the powers of the Drive Forms, but when Hades rears his ugly, flaming head, trouble quickly begins to stir for both this world and among the group as well. Is Hades really after what he says that he is, or is he here with a much more devious goal that could spell trouble for the future? Find out the answers next time._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**

 ** _Really, post some reviews please, cause if ya don't, you'll be hurting my feelings [looks at you with sad puppy expression]_**


	10. Coliseum Catastrophe

_**AN: Hey everyone, we're back with more action, magic, and adventure with the heroes of Kingdom Hearts in Keyblades of Future Past! I gotta say, this story as actually coming along much more quickly than I had originally thought it would. I mean the excitement at how much of the story I've already covered is really eating me up, and...back away Hades, I STILL did not mean literally.**_

 _ **Hades: OH GIVE ME A BREAK ALREADY! Okay, okay, fine, fine, I'm cool. Fine. I'm just glad that you decided to see a little sense, get the old wake up call, and give the number one God of Death his time in the spotlight this time around.**_

 _ **AN: Keep it up and I'll be giving you something else that you won't like.**_

 _ **Hades: Hey, fine, cool man. You're the boss and all that jazz, and I respect that.**_

 _ **AN: Anyways, we're off to Olympus Coliseum in the Birth By Sleep Era, and we'll be seeing a few familiar faces when we get there, along with some explanations on the powers used by each hero, how I envision those powers would work, at least in this story, and a major upset that could put everything at risk.**_

 _ **Hades: Whoa, the drama, the excitement, the anticipation, the ratings! I can hardly contain myself, just do the disclaimer thing and get on with it already!**_

 _ **AH: [hits control and giant boxing glove comes out of the wall and sends Hades flying] I'M GETTING TO THAT, SO KEEP YOUR HEAD ON, FLAME BRAIN!**_

 _ **Hades: WHY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!**_

 _ **AN: Anyways...**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter X**

The group of Keyblade Wielders raced through the Lanes Between to their next destination, each excited for a multitude of reasons, but at the same time, there were also reasons why they were still concerned. For Aqua, she was a bit nervous and unsure about Terra, and it was not because she was still as upset with him as she was when they first met again back in Radiant Garden after so long, at least she did not think so, but it was mostly because she was not sure where she really stood with him at the moment. She had seen a few glimpses of him when he fought Vanitas using the power of darkness, and she had also heard about what happened on Jo-Ad from Ventus, and while she was glad that Terra seemed to be getting better control of those dark powers, she could not help but feel that if he kept going the way he was, it would become more of a hindrance than a help to both him and their mission. At the same time, her thoughts could not help but drift to some of the moments between the two of them in the Galactic Alliance when they were not at each other's throats, and given how friendly they were towards each other, it made her even more confused about where they really stood at the moment.

It was not that much easier of an idea for Terra either, as while he was glad that Ventus still believed in him, he still had some doubts about how strong his young, blonde friend's faith was, and those doubts were even greater in relation to Aqua. Sure the two of them were not always fighting now, and most of Aqua's insults towards him were more in good jest than in an attempt to aggravate him, but Terra still could not help but wonder if it all meant that Aqua was beginning to come close to forgiving him. If that were the case, then he would be forever grateful for that, because he wanted to make sure that his friends were safe and still able to count on him like they used to more than anything, but if not, then he had to wonder even more if they ever could come close to being the friends that they once were when there was such an obvious amount of distrust among them.

Surprisingly, even though he did not say it, Ventus was actually both worried and frustrated with both of his two best friends as well. Frustrated because the both of them were constantly trying to blame each other for things that was all of their faults, including his, and because they were too busy letting the past cloud their judgment to forgive, forget, and move on for a better future. Of course, it was also for those same reasons that he was worried about them, as Ventus remembered very well that the last time there was so much of things like that between them that it began to drive them apart until that fateful day when their friendship really did fall apart. The last thing that Ventus wanted for he and his friends to lose the unbreakable bond they were supposed to have all over again, but thankfully, he was able to remind himself that maybe that would not happen since Sora and Kairi were here, and the two had stated that they had come back in time to keep such things from happening in the first place. With that in mind, Ventus was able to relax a little and have a genuine smile reach his face as they approached their destination.

While for Terra, Ventus, and Aqua it was like returning to a place they had recently visited just a short time ago, for Sora and Kairi, it was like being able to return to a place they thought they would never see again, for there before them, was the home of Hercules, Olympus Coliseum. As they looked on at the world, Sora and Kairi had to let smiles reach their faces as they basked in the glow of the shining sun, the Greek architecture, and the faint sounds of roaring crowds that was already reaching their ears, and they could already feel their excitement at returning to the world that had only just recently been lost to darkness growing more and more with each passing second. At the same time though, they were somehow able to keep themselves from forgetting that they were in the past, at a point in history when they had not yet met Hercules, or anyone else on that world, and so they were already beginning to think of ways to cover their being there when they met their true hero friend and his trainer.

When they finally landed at Olympus Coliseum and dismissed both their armors and Keyblade Gliders, they all had various different smiles on their faces at seeing that they had returned to a world that they all knew so well. Some of those smiles instantly brightened when they heard a familiar voice shouting to someone, and even more so when they a familiar satyr heading their way along with a skinny teenage boy with red hair in a white toga and brown sandals. "Hey Phil, Herc," Ventus called out, getting surprised looks from Terra and Aqua from the fact that Ventus seemed to know the two, and completely astonished looks from Sora and Kairi when they heard what the blonde had called the teenager with Phil.

 _THAT's Hercules,_ Sora and Kairi both thought in surprise, truly not expecting the large, muscular demi-god to look anything like what he did in this time period. At seeing this, both were impressed at how hard Hercules seemed to train to get where they knew he would in the future, and Sora was silently wondering if continuing to train with Phil would eventually help him to bulk up to that point with a small smile reaching his face as he daydreamed about the possibility and what it would do for his chances with Kairi. Sora quickly snapped out of his daydream when he noticed that Kairi was trying to get his attention, and that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had just finished doing a small bit of catch-up with the two world locals.

Then they saw Ventus wave them over, and the two quickly approached just in time to hear what Ventus was starting to say to Hercules. "Hey, Herc, you've gotta meet our newest friends. This is Sor…"

"Uh, Roxas," Sora quickly and loudly interrupted before Ventus could finish. After hearing how Kairi figured she should stick to using Naminé's name as an alias while they were in the past, at least when they met people that they knew in the future, Sora figured it would not hurt to introduce himself as his own Nobody. Even though the real Roxas would probably meet some of the same people, there was a very strong chance that they would just cast it off as being a case of someone having the same name. Sora then continued on by saying, "My name's Roxas, and this is Naminé. We're heroes where we're from."

"Wow, really," Hercules gasped in surprise. "You guys are real, true heroes?!"

"Hold up! I'll be the judge of that," Phil interjected as he walked up to the two Keyblade Masters of the future. The satyr then stared at both Sora and Kairi for a minute before he finally said, "Well…you may have the look in your eyes that says that you've done a lot of big hero things, but I'd have to mark you both as Junior Heroes to be perfectly honest."

"What? But they've done a lot of great things and saved a lot of people too," Aqua protested.

"Yeah, why would you say that they're just Junior Heroes," Terra added.

"Two words: Lacking in wisdom and heart," Phil stated, leading Ventus to silently count the number of words and find that Phil's math was off once again.

"Even in the past he ranks me as a Junior Hero," Sora muttered under his breath, low enough for no one but Kairi to hear and then giggle in response to.

"Anyways, so what you brings yous guys all around here anyways," Phil then asked. "The Games aren't gonna be held again for a while now, so if you're hoping to compete then you're outta luck there."

"We're not here to compete in the games. Just for some training," Aqua immediately told Phil.

"Well, in that case, Sweet-Cheeks, I'd be more than happy to volunteer my services for a little while," Phil then stated, trying to act suave towards Aqua, only for her to barely suppress a groan in disgust in response to this.

"We'll manage on our own thanks," Terra immediately interjected on Aqua's behalf, much to the girl's ire, as she was about to say the same thing, only with much more politeness than Terra had.

Seeing that Aqua had adopted an irritated look on her face because of Terra's actions, Ventus immediately jumped in to alleviate the situation as he asked, "Say, is Zack around?"

"Oh, that crazy kid who was trying like crazy to get me to train him instead of Herc here," Phil asked. "Yeah he's around here somewhere doing some of his own training, but knowing him, he'll show up outta nowhere at any minute now for one reason or another."

"Wait, who's Zack," Kairi then asked, having never heard the name before in her life from Sora or otherwise.

Her answer came when a young man with black, spiky hair, and blue eyes in a silver-grey suit of armor, black gloves, brown boots, silver shoulder pads, and blue pants with a large sword strapped onto his back suddenly seemed to have popped up behind them as he cried out, "Hey Ven, good to see you, and it looks like you brought the great Terra and Aqua with ya too!"

"Hey Zack," Ventus exclaimed as he exchanged a quick fist bump with the now-identified Zack. "Wait, how do you know Terra and Aqua?"

"Well Terra and I fought against each other in the Games, where he saved me from being controlled by Hades, and then later on, I fought against Aqua in a later season of the Games and I got to see her mop the floor with both Hades and the Ice Titan," Zack explained to his blonde haired friend. He then turned his attention to Aqua and said, "So, I guess that you probably want to go on that date now, huh?"

"Wh-what? N-no, that's…I mean, I'm just here for some training stuff, and…well," Aqua stuttered, getting amused smirks from Ventus, Sora, and Kairi while getting a mild glare from Terra that was barely mixed with an amused look of his own.

"Ah, relax, I'm just kidding," Zack reassured Aqua. "After all, I haven't become a hero yet."

"I…I never really agreed to that," Aqua then sputtered, but this just seemed to get everyone's grins to get a little wider.

"Hey Aqua, you're face is all red," Kairi then said, teasingly, feeling that she was now getting adequate payback for all the times her senior had made fun of her and Sora, once again.

Aqua just turned her face away in response, hoping to hide her blush, only to add to everyone's further amusement, until Sora finally glanced over at Zack and got a better look at the brunette's sword. "Hey, Zack, right," Sora said, getting everyone's attention. "You wouldn't happen to know a guy named Cloud would you?"

Zack seemed to adopt a small thinking pose as he replied, "About yea tall, blonde, spiky hair, seems like he's brooding a lot, has a bit of a thing with a guy named Sephiroth?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Sure, I know him," Zack replied proudly. "We're pretty good friends. Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason, it's just that sword your carrying looks kinda like one I've seen him using before, so I felt that I had to ask," Sora replied as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Wow, really? Huh, go figure," Zack commented to himself. "Oh by the way, I don't think we've really been introduced. You and your girlfriend there friends of Ven, Terra, and Aqua?"

Aqua gave a smirk that screamed "serves you right" when she saw Kairi and Sora's faces turn nearly as red as the Princess of Heart's hair, while Sora simply stuttered, "Sh-she's not my girlfriend! N-not that there wouldn't be anything wrong with that…but she's my best friend who just happens to be a girl." The brown, spiky haired boy quickly regained his composure, not noticing how Kairi's face had turned a little more red at his second comment, before he said, "Anyways, my name's Roxas, and this is Naminé, my _best friend_."

"Okay, man, whatever you say," Zack stated with his hands up in mock surrender, but his tone implied that he did not believe Sora's claim about him and Kairi being friends one bit. "Anyways, I'd love to stay and catch up, but I've gotta get training. After all, the road to hero-hood is a long way."

With that, Zack took off to wherever it was he usually trained, leaving the rest of the group there to watch him go for a minute before Phil looked to the five Keyblade Wielders and told them that they could use the Coliseum's ring for training since it was not open for the Games at the moment. The five immediately thanked Phil for that and then took off for the stadium so that they could begin telling each other about all their respective skills and begin doing a little training in whatever areas each of them needed or could get training in.

* * *

Shortly after they had all gathered in the stadium, Aqua turned to Sora and Kairi and asked the question that she and her two friends were wondering since they had first seen the powers that the two possessed on Planet Z. "So exactly what was that anyways," the blue haired Keyblade Master asked.

"It's a special power we have called the Drive Forms," Sora explained. "At the start of our second adventure, well my second adventure and the first one that Kairi was a part of in something other than a damsel in distress role…"

"Hey," Kairi half-snapped indignantly, even though she knew it was technically true.

"Master Yen Sid gave us these special outfits that grant us with special powers, those being the Drive Forms. When the Drive Forms are active, our abilities gain a major increase that makes us even more powerful in one field of combat or another, or even both, even giving us abilities that we wouldn't normally have, like being able to run faster or even being able to fly like Peter Pan."

"Whoa, seriously," Ventus exclaimed. "That's so cool! Hey, can we use this too?"

"I don't really think so," Sora stated, bringing a disappointed look to the blonde's face. "You see, the powers don't really come entirely from us but rather from our outfits. I mean, sure our strength plays a bit of a part in how the powers work and what we can do in each form, but the forms themselves would never have manifested at all without the magic spells in our clothes."

"What did you mean when you said that it magnifies one aspect of battle, another, or both," Terra then asked, wanting to get as many specifics as they could.

"Well, take our first Drive Forms for example," Kairi replied as she took over. "You see, we did not start with the same Drive Form, but rather a Drive Form that covered the battle aspect that the other lacked. Sora's first Drive Form was known as Valor Form, a Form that specializes in close combat while giving up any ability to use magic, while mine was the Wisdom Form, a fast-moving magic oriented form that gives up close combat, at least in the traditional sense of close combat. If we ever used one or the other, we'd have to rely solely on whatever they provided us while having to make do without whatever they took away."

"Of course, most of our other forms have both magic and melee abilities that are even stronger than our normal ones, namely the Master and Final Forms, so that does not really matter all that much anymore," Sora then continued. "Originally, we had to rely on one or more of our allies to call on the Drive Forms, but after we achieved the Mark of Mastery, we found that we could use any of our Drive Forms on our own, but we did need to practice a lot before they were back to the strength level they were back when we first obtained each Form."

"So, you both have the same number of these Drive Forms and the same Forms as well," Aqua asked.

"Well, not exactly," Kairi stated. "Sora actually has one more form than me, the Limit Form, but considering that we both have all of the more powerful forms, I don't really consider it that big of a loss."

The three students of Eraqus seemed to pause in thought about all that they had just been told for a minute before they finally exchanged a small look and a nod between themselves, and Aqua told their friends from the future, "I think we'd like to see these Drive Forms in action, if that's alright."

"Sure thing," Sora said happily as he turned to enter the arena.

Before Sora could start any training session though, Kairi stopped him so that she could bring up one final thing. "I hope you don't mind, but we can't show you all of the Drive Forms right away," Kairi said. "You see, if we're not careful and use the Drive Forms too often without giving the energy needed for them to some time to recharge, we'll unleash a Drive Form that seems to slightly draw on the power of darkness called the AntiForm. Unlike the other Drive Forms, the AntiForm can't be dismissed right away, the earliest being after the end of a battle or after you've effectively been able to retreat, and it basically turns us into shadow like versions of ourselves. We don't become Heartless or anything, but we do seem like we're pretty close to it, and we basically attack like animals using the claws we gain along with other hand-to-hand style attacks."

Aqua and the other two boys both nodded in understanding, and then motioned for the two to continue as they were, agreeing to stop as soon as either one of the two masters from the future said that they needed to. With all of that said and done, both Sora and Kairi entered the ring, and quickly became enveloped in a flash of light. When the light faded, Sora was revealed to be in the red and black styling of his Valor Form, and Kairi's outfit had changed from its usual colors of pink, white, and silver, to being a mystifying, forest green and purple with flames on the center of her dress in the same shade of green. In addition to this, Kairi had now started holding her Keyblade in a reverse grip like Ventus normally did, spinning the blade around in her fingers every now and then, while Sora had gained a second Keyblade which was silver and dark grey like a large rifle with a lions-head on the tip and the Keychain's token.

"Like many of the Drive Forms, Valor Form allows us to wield two Keyblades," Sora shouted from the arena as he spun both of his swords around into a ready position. "And over the years, we've learned how to change what Keyblade we use as our second Keyblade with each Drive Form. For my Valor Form, I go with this one, which is called Sleeping Lion, and the Master Form I use has a Keyblade known as Follow the Wind, while Kairi's Master Form has one known as Fairy Harp, and her Valor Form has one called Pixie Petal."

"The Wisdom Form and Sora's Limit Form are the only Drive Forms that don't grant an additional Keyblade, but you'll see why that's the case for the Wisdom Form in a minute," Kairi then added as a training scenario that Ventus remembered doing with Hercules started up, generating a number of large pots when it did. The minute they heard the signal to start, Kairi and Sora were both off like lightning, and the three students of Eraqus were quick to see exactly what each of the two were talking about when they were describing how the Drive Forms worked. While Sora merely rushed in with his Keyblades swinging at speeds that could only have been match by Ventus while he was using his Fever Pitch Command Style, Kairi actually seemed to move around the area like she was skating as she fired off a series of magical homing darts from the tip of her Keyblade, and each dart almost always hit their mark depending on how close or far away the target Kairi was aiming for was.

Part way through, Sora suddenly jumped higher than they had ever seen anyone jump before, and then brought both Keyblades down in a powerful slash that tore through not only one of the larger pots, but also several other smaller ones as well in the blink of an eye. Kairi then pushed off the ground a little as she darted forward in one direction before spinning around and firing a series of magic darts and then several different spells, while she was still moving, something that not even Aqua had ever been able to do. Eventually, the whistle sounded for the session to end, with the twos final scores tying each other.

"So, you starting to get an idea of what we got when using Drive Forms now," Sora asked as he and Kairi both dismissed their respective Forms.

"I think so," Aqua admitted. "Each of your Forms may have had disadvantages, but they also made up for that by giving you special abilities you wouldn't normally have as well, like granting the use of a second Keyblade or being able to move while casting any kind of magic spell."

"Still, it just showed us what you can each do in those Forms you were using just now, and we got a pretty good idea of what you can both do with the Master Forms already since we saw you guys using them already," Terra then interjected. "I'm kinda curious as to what else you can do with the other Forms you haven't already shown us."

"Fair enough," Kairi shrugged in agreement. "Just give us a couple seconds and we'll show you what other tricks we have up our sleeves with each of the Forms you haven't already seen, at least for as long as we're able to, and then it's your turn for show and tell."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and as soon as Phil came over to tell the group that the training program was ready to go again, Kairi and Sora entered the ring once more and prepared to show off what else they could do in the Drive Forms that they had not already used.

* * *

As the heroes continued to learn more about each other's combat skills, a certain god of the Underworld was in the midst of a meeting with someone that was most certainly not dead. "So let me get this straight, okay," Hades told his current visitor. "You're telling me that the two brats that messed up my plans before, their little friend, and a couple of new brats with Keyblades of their own are now here, right this second, doing a little what's-what of the abilities they have, and you basically want me to go up there, hang around, throw a few ideas and things out there, and then get rid of them?"

"Not get rid of them, just the bond between them that is beginning to grow stronger again," the aged, sinister voice of Master Xehanort clarified. "If you do this for me, then I can guarantee that you will have a place among the greatest powers of darkness as I begin a campaign that will cover all the worlds in shadow, while also granting you, a being of great, dark power, even greater darkness than you can imagine to use for your own goals, so long as you help me with mine."

"Hmm…help an old geezer split up a bunch of kids, two of which completely messed up my plans in the past, and three others who would likely do the same, and then end up as a supreme ruler of worlds while also having a power that may or may not eliminate the need to unleash all the titans in order to get my revenge on my most hated, immortal enemy and his little brat," Hades mused to himself.

"Going once," Xehanort then stated confidently.

"Wait, would there be a downside to this? I mean, ya gotta consider all your options…"

"Going twice."

"Okay, okay, okay," Hades finally conceded. "I get rid of the little bond of friendship, pal-town, and buddy-buddy-ness that those three have and help you with your little escapade, and you give me what I need to get what I want in return. You got yourself a deal old timer, so here, let's shake on it."

"Do you take me for a fool, Hades," Xehanort asked, indicating that he knew full well of the sort of powers that Hades could use the minute he shook hands with the God of Death.

"Ah well, you can't blame a guy for wanting to seal a deal like that," Hades shrugged. He then looked to where his large table filled with small pieces resembling places, people, and monsters was, with a sinister smirk reaching his face as he asked, "Now, where do we begin with this little ending a friendship scheme?"

* * *

Sora and Kairi finally finished showing off all of the Drive Forms that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had not yet seen, and after seeing both the appearances of each Drive Form and the powers they each possessed, the three Keyblade Wielders of the past were definitely both stunned and impressed with what they had seen. In addition to learning that Sora used a Keyblade known as Guardian Soul and Kairi used a Keyblade called Winner's Proof with their respective Final Forms, they also noticed that while there were similarities in how they each used their respective versions of their Drive Forms, there were still enough differences between the two to be noticed by someone who either knew what to look for or was watching closely, yet those same differences were also clearly the key to what allowed the two to work together so well.

Of course, they had wanted a more in-depth demonstration of how they each used their Master Forms along with seeing how Sora's Limit Form worked, but after showing off their most powerful Drive Form, that being the Final Form, Sora and Kairi had to inform the three that they needed to rest before using any Drive Forms again, unless they wanted to risk unleashing their AntiForms. With the two now more than ready to take a break, Aqua decided to take that as her cue to take the lead in teaching the two a few things that she, Terra, and Ventus had learned from training under Master Eraqus.

"I have to admit, your Drive Forms are actually really impressive," Aqua complimented the two Keybearers from the future as she took up a position in front of them, with Terra and Ventus following soon after. "From where I was sitting, it actually looked a lot like your own versions of the Command Styles that the three of us use."

"Command Styles," Sora perked up in response. "What exactly are those?"

Terra then chose that moment to step forward and explain the basics of the fighting ability to the two. "The Command Styles are basically like your Drive Forms except they require the use of certain magic or abilities in order to be activated. They normally come in two tiers and when activated, they provide a special boost to your fighting abilities for a limited amount of time. There's three different Tier One Command Styles that anyone can use, but the best Command Styles are the ones that are unique to you and you alone."

"Exactly," Ven nodded, with Aqua doing the same a minute later, albeit a little more hesitantly. "The three basic Command Styles that anyone can use are known as Fire Storm, Diamond Dust, and Thunder Bolt, and they can be activated through the consistent use of Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder-based abilities, respectively."

"So how do they work," Kairi asked.

"Have you ever felt a strange surge of energy building up inside you after using a certain spell or ability a various number of times," Aqua then asked in response. When Sora and Kairi paused to think for a minute and then nodded in response when they remembered a few such times, Aqua went on to say, "Well, that would be the power of a Command Style building up inside of you. Once it has reached its maximum, all you have to do is direct the power into your Keyblade, and the Command Style will activate. The downside is that you can't always predict what kind of Command Style you will unleash, but you can manage to learn what abilities to use in order to release a particular Command Style."

"Okay, so what about what the unique Command Styles that Terra mentioned," Sora then asked.

"That's actually something that's normal for all Keyblade Wielders," Ventus explained. "Every Keyblade wielder can use the three basic Tier One Command Styles, but they also have a fourth one that's all their own, while the Tier Two Command Styles are just as unique to them as that one Tier One Command Style, and the reason for that is because the fourth is always determined based on the person themselves. At least, that's what Master Eraqus always said."

"You've actually got it exactly right, Ven," Aqua praised, getting a small, irritated look from Terra as a result, as it had not been lost on him that Aqua was always quick to praise Ventus while any praise Terra received always came a bit more hesitantly. "The way to learning the Unique Command Style is always the trickiest, because it's always different for everyone. For example, my Spell Weaver Command Style is activated by using various different magic spells in any order, while Terra's Critical Impact Command Style is activated through the use a number of physical-based abilities."

"What about the Tier Two Command Styles," Kairi then pointed out, as they had not done more than give a few small mentions of that topic.

"Well that is more based on timing, as they can only be activated right when the energy of your Tier One Command Style is nearly at the point where its finisher is usually unleashed. At that point, you need to use a specific spell or ability to unleash an even more powerful Command Style, and that Command Style is just as dependant on you as your Unique Command Style is."

"How come," Sora asked.

"Because the Tier Two Command Styles are all unique to a Keyblade Wielder," Ventus explained. "Or rather, one of them is while another is shared with another wielder. You see, every Keyblade Wielder's Tier Two Command Styles normally consist of one that is unique to them, and at least one other that they share with another wielder that they hold a strong bond with in their heart."

"A good example of the latter would be of how I share the Blade Charge Command Style with Terra and the Sky Climber Command Style with Ventus. Most Keyblade Masters can have either two shared and one unique Tier Two Command Style, while others can have two unique and one shared Command Style of the same tier," Aqua then added.

"So do you think that Sora and I might have these Command Styles," Kairi asked.

"Well, you never know until you try," Terra encouraged. "Want to try and find out."

Sora and Kairi were about to reply with an eager yes when a sudden burst of black smoke erupted from the center of the arena, and Hades revealed himself to be standing there before them. "Why bother with such child's play when you can get in on the real stuff, know what I'm saying? Well, I know you do, Chickenheart, but these guys, well, gotta sell them the good stuff, am I right," the ruler of the Underworld said, focusing mainly on Terra as he talked.

"Hades," Sora, Kairi, Terra, and Aqua all said at once, while Ventus just glared at the god, seeing as this was the first time he had ever met the man.

"Oh, hey, look at that, my reputation precedes me," Hades remarked with his usual bluster. "So I guess that means it'll save me the trouble of telling you all that you are completely beat, out of your league, basically screwed from here to hell, which is actually pretty beneficial for me. Well, except in the case of you, ol' Chickenheart, because, why would I honestly want you down in my Underworld, when you so blatantly refuse to use the power of darkness the right way, and after all the trouble I went through helping you learn to control it."

"You mean trying to get me to be consumed by it," Terra shouted angrily as he summoned Ends of the Earth to his hand. "I may not be able to stop myself from having powers of darkness, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let it consume me."

"Oh, so you're basically saying that you're willing to use darkness, huh," Hades asked, smugly. "That's funny, 'cause the little bluebird over here, said that you'd never do such a thing. Honestly, I don't know why she believes in such a ridiculous notion, even after I told her about the little deal you and I made."

"Go ahead and keep talking so you can try and tear us apart with your mind games, Hades," Aqua challenged as she summoned Stormfall to her hand. "It'll never work."

"Really? Well, that's not what I heard," Hades immediately retorted. "See, a little birdie told me, that you three over here, basically called it quits on your little besties-bond and cut each other off from your lives completely, all because of a few silly arguments. Although, I can't say I blame you for that. Let's face facts here for a minute, okay? You three are, let's face it, so different and so far apart in your personalities and powers that I honestly consider it a miracle that you were ever friends at all. I mean, we've got spineless, brooding Chickenheart over here, the boy who's only half a man, and little Miss Perfect who's able to go gallivanting around the cosmos and snatching up a few dates along the way, even though she insists that she's doing everything she can to find her so-called friends and bring peace to the worlds. I mean, come on, how screwed up can a bunch of kids get before they can take a hint?"

"Shut it, you bastard," Sora shouted as he and the rest of the group summoned their Keyblades. "You don't know anything about any of us, and you never will! That's why you'll always lose!"

"Heh, please. Who're you trying to fool kid," Hades waved Sora off. "If you seriously think that you can actually be a challenge to me, then you're more deluded than that nanny goat that's always trying to run the show around here. Don't you think it's convenient that I showed up at a moment that was, like, seconds after you finished you're little show-and-tell thing? That's cause, I was watching to know when the best time to strike would be, and when you would not all be at your best, and now that you aren't…"

Hades finished his statement by simply snapping his fingers, and an instant later, a swarm of Shadow and Neo Shadow Heartless sprung forth, immediately turning their animalistic, yellow eyes on the five Keyblade Wielders before charging right at them while Hades merely pooffed himself into the stands and out of harm's way so that he could watch. The five heroes of the light were quick to charge in, but they all knew full well that Hades was somewhat right about how they were not at their best at the moment, as Sora and Kairi could not call on their Drive Forms without risking the chance that they could enter their AntiForms, and not only that, but the two had not even started trying to learn how to activate the Command Styles, so that meant that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus would have to keep a careful, watchful eye on the two as they fought.

Aqua thought this especially, as she was doing everything she could to split her focus between fighting her own enemies and keeping Sora and Kairi safe, even at moments when it was not entirely necessary. While the two were grateful for Aqua's concern, they knew that fighting like that was more dangerous for Aqua than it would have been for her to leave them to fight on their own, and from what Sora could see from a few glances, it did not seem to be bringing her into a better light with Terra, as he was developing a scowl that continued to deepen every time Aqua dashed over to help the two. Kairi could also see that Ventus had noticed Terra's scowling and Aqua's actions, and that the blonde was getting a rather annoyed expression of his own for reasons unknown to the Princess of Heart, but she decided to leave it for later and focus on the matter at hand.

As he continued to watch the five continue to fight, Hades had to let out a sinister chuckle as he saw that the Keybearers were slowly getting backed into a corner. Despite what Xehanort had told him, Hades fully intended to take out Aqua and Terra for how they had "humiliated" him before, and he was not going to take the chance of letting the other three get an opportunity to do the same. Just as some of the Heartless were about to dive in for a finishing blow, the sound of a sword slashing through something reached everyone's ears, and they were all greeted by the sight of Zack holding his sword out in a position that indicated he was the one who had struck the attacking Heartless that had just vanished.

"Whoa, hey, who let in the mosquito," Hades asked in slight annoyance. "Seriously, what kind of establishment are they running here?"

"I'll show you who's a mosquito in just a minute, Hades," Zack shouted as he turned his sword to the other Heartless.

"Zack, what're you doing here? It's not safe," Ventus shouted as he spun his Keyblade through a group of Heartless, entering his Fever Pitch Command Style the minute after he did.

"Well I'm not about to leave my friends to fend for themselves," Zack replied with a smile. "That's not what heroes do, after all. Plus I was heading over here anyways to see if any of you guys wanted a sparring partner when I heard the commotion in the lobby, so I thought that you might need some help."

"Appreciate that," Terra replied as he smashed his Keyblade into some more Heartless using his Critical Impact Command Style, before channeling energy into his Keyblade in order to unleash his Dark Impulse Style.

Aqua also had to nod in thanks to Zack, but that thankful look soon turned to a mild scowl when she saw the Command Style that Terra was using. Now do not misunderstand, Aqua was glad that Terra seemed to be getting the hang of using his dark powers, but in Aqua's opinion, Terra should have been looking for a way to control them so that he would not ever need to use them, and instead it seemed more like he was becoming more and more willing to use those powers. These thoughts ended up distracting her long enough for some Heartless to land a good hit on her, knocking her off her feet and into the side of the stadium. Just as she was about to stand up, she saw another group of Neo Shadows beginning to lunge right at her, and she immediately began to brace herself for the impending attack.

She was shocked to discover that the attack she was anticipating ended up never coming, and when she looked to see why, she had to sigh in relief to see that Kairi was able to come to her aid and throw up a Reflect spell just at the last minute. Aqua's relief quickly turned to shock though when she saw that Kairi had started to gain a bright, white glow around her body as she held her Keyblade in front of her, which she immediately recognized the meaning of.

"Whoa, hey, what's goin' on with Little Red, there," Hades asked, truly not expecting what had just happened.

"Is that…" Ventus began to ask.

"No way," Terra immediately breathed in equal shock. "She actually managed to do it on her first try."

"That's a…Unique Command Style," Aqua finally stated as the glow around Kairi finally reached its peak and then settled as a white and red glow, with the latter color being closely similar to the color of Kairi's hair. Everyone could only stare at Kairi in amazement until the girl suddenly took off like a rocket, slashing through Heartless left and right, until she paused her slashing for a minute to fire off a series of magic homing darts from the tip of her Keyblade in a manner similar to how she did in her Wisdom Form. Kairi then ceased her shooting before she began racing around the arena once more, and this time while casting a series of different spells as she moved, indicating that her new Command Style was capable using another of her Wisdom Form's abilities.

Kairi then skidded to a halt before a large group of Heartless before she held her Keyblade in front of her and shouted, "Command Style: Shooting Star Finisher!" The redhead then spun around on one foot a couple of times, spinning her Keyblade in her hand as she did, while a series of five pointed stars formed around her. Upon coming out of the final spin, Kairi swung her Keyblade in front of her, and the stars immediately raced off to fly through all the Heartless in front of her, destroying them all in a single blow.

"Wow," Sora exclaimed happily. "That's amazing!"

"Well too bad you'll never get to see it again kid," Hades suddenly said as he suddenly appeared behind Sora. The wielder of the Kingdom Key immediately jumped away before Hades could land a fiery fist into his back, and then cast a freeze spell in Hades's direction before unleashing a series of powerful slashes, none of which seemed to faze the Lord of the Dead in the slightest, much to said god's amusement.

"Wow, and that guy was actually worried about you being a problem? Man, what a laugh," Hades stated with a small shrug and a bored look. That look soon vanished when Sora suddenly started to glow in a similar manner to how Kairi had a moment ago. "Oh don't tell me!"

Sadly for him, it was exactly what Hades thought it was, as Sora had just found a way to activate his own Unique Command Style, as evidenced by the fact that the light soon settled in the same manner as the glow Kairi previously had, only taking on a shade of shinning silver when it did. Sora then seemed to race across the ground at high speeds that not even his Valor Form could achieve, and when he unleashed his strikes, the faint, ghost-like image of a second Keyblade appeared in his hand for a moment before he struck with that same weapon, dealing a surprising amount of damage to his opponent. Sora then leaped into the air, reaching a height that was much greater than he had ever been able to reach before, and then dived down with his Keyblade and Ghost-Keyblade swinging in quick succession, slashing through Hades as he passed by him on his descent. He then spun around on one foot as the Ghost-Keyblade vanished and shouted, "Command Style: Destiny Blaze Finisher!"

A minute after Sora had shouted that, he had immediately charged towards Hades at a speed so fast that if you had blinked, you would have missed him. He then unleashed a furious barrage of strikes with his Kingdom Key, and as those strikes continued, the Ghost-Keyblade appeared in his hand once more before joining into the battle. A minute later, the faint image of another Keyblade appeared around the Kingdom Key while the Ghost-Keyblade was replaced by another Keyblade, and this continued to do so until Sora suddenly back flipped away from Hades and dashed forward with one final, cross slash on the Ruler of the Underworld, bringing Hades to his knees just as the glow from Sora's Command Style had faded.

"Pfft, whatever," Hades scoffed as he dusted himself off. "I did my job, so that guy can't really complain, now can he, otherwise, boo-hoo, so sad, them's the brakes."

With that all said and done, Hades soon disappeared in his usual puff of black smoke, just catching Sora calling him a low life in time to thank the Kingdom Key wielder for what Hades considered to be a compliment as he did. Everyone was quick to surround Sora and Kairi to congratulate them on their victory and on their ability to be able to awaken their first Command Styles, but no one was expecting the mood to change to the negative after Ventus commented, "You guys are one seriously awesome team."

"Well that's natural for a team made up of such good friends," Sora said as he assumed his usual relaxed pose. "Just like the team of Keyblade Wielders before us."

Aqua and the other three raised an eyebrow in confusion before she realized who Sora was talking about. "Wait, you mean us," she asked with a small chuckle. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Yeah, you got that right," Terra huffed in annoyance, getting everyone's attention drawn to him.

"Is everything alright, Terra," Ventus asked, being the only one brave enough to venture into what were most definitely dangerous waters.

"I don't know. You guys certainly seem to think so," Terra stated as he crossed his arms.

"You know, if you think that there's some kind of problem, you should tell us," Aqua stated.

"Oh sure, so you can immediately drop everything and try and solve it," Terra snapped, surprising everyone. "Hades may not have been right about a lot of things, but he was right about one thing, and that's the fact that you seem to think you're the perfect person to solve everything."

"Excuse me," Aqua demanded, clearly getting more than a little riled up by Terra's accusation.

"You heard me," Terra said, reaching the point of nearly shouting now. Sora and Kairi immediately attempted to try and calm the both of them down before the situation got out of hand, but it did not seem that either of the two was willing to listen as Terra continued ranting, "You think that just because you're the only one of us to become a Keyblade Master that neither our group or the worlds can't survive even the simplest thing without the great Master Aqua to help things along. Well I've got news for you, Teacher's Favorite Pet; maybe not everyone did, but the rest of us got along just FINE without you!"

"Oh and what qualifies as just fine," Aqua then questioned, now matching Terra's shouting with some of her own. "The fact that so many innocent people have been either kidnapped or attacked by the forces of darkness, letting a deranged madman compel you to give in to darkness, or allowing him to play you like a piano so that he could easily kill our master and father?! Tell me Terra, what of any of that qualifies as doing fine?!"

"Don't drag that into this," Terra warned the blunette. "Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to play hero for everyone, I never would have had to fight Master Eraqus, and Xehanort would never have succeeded in killing him, but then again, considering what kind of person you've become, I wouldn't be surprised if you would've chosen to let the master try and destroy me and Ven instead of actually trying to protect us like a real friend!"

"I have been trying to help you guys," Aqua insisted. "Ever since we left our home, which is now in ruins because of what you allowed Xehanort to do, I've done everything I can to try and help you both! Why do you hate me for that?!"

"And whoever said I wanted that kind of help," Terra then demanded. "I told you that I was better off on my own! I didn't need Master Eraqus's little spy trying to tell me how to do things, just because the path I was walking to try and prove I was worthy of the Mark of Mastery was one she didn't agree with."

"STOP IT," a new voice suddenly shouted, and everyone was immediately turning to face a very, very pissed off Ventus, who was glaring angrily at his two best friends. "Don't you guys get it," Ventus demanded. "We're all to blame for what happened! Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to put the blame on each other and pointing out one and others faults you'd see that, but I guess that you're too busy doing that to realize that our friendship, the so-called unbreakable connection we're supposed to have has fallen apart because of that! I honestly thought that maybe things had changed since we had parted ways, but clearly they're still the same as they were before! I don't know why I bothered wasting my time coming back into all this."

Terra could only stare in wide-eyed astonishment at his younger friend that he considered to be like his little brother, while Aqua could already feel tears reaching her eyes as a tight clenching found its way into her chest, immediately telling her that her heart was most certainly breaking from what Ven had just said, and that it was continuing to break when Ventus suddenly turned around and began stopping towards the arena exit. "Ven, wait," Sora called as he reached a hand out to Ventus. "Don't just walk away like this when there's…"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE," Ventus shouted, causing Sora to freeze in his tracks, eyes wide. "This whole thing was doomed from the start. The sooner you accept that and go back to wherever you came from the better, Sora. Just deal with it."

Without so much as another glance back, Ventus then vanished through the exit much to everyone's shock, including Zack's, and when Sora turned back to Aqua and Terra, thinking he could convince one of them to go after Ven, he saw that Terra had already turned away and summoned his armor. "Ven's right about one thing. This was a waste of time," Terra stated flatly in an emotionless tone before summoning his Keyblade Glider and taking off into the sky, vanishing mere seconds later.

Kairi then turned to see Aqua was preparing to do the same as her two friends had done, and the redhead was quick to run over to the woman who had once saved her life so long ago as she pleaded, "Aqua, please, don't go now. Think about what will happen if you don't help us and fix things between you, Terra, and Ventus."

"No Kairi," Aqua sniffed, showing Kairi that the mighty Keyblade Master was barely holding back her tears now. "Don't you get it? There's nothing to fix, because it's so broken that it doesn't even exist anymore. I'm sorry, but I…I just…"

Aqua could not finish her sentence, as she found that she could barely hold her tears back any longer, so she instead elected to summon her armor and race away from Sora, Kairi, and Zack on her Keyblade Glider as fast as she could, leaving a stunned and saddened Sora and Kairi in her wake as she did. The two Keyblade Masters from the future could only look on at where Aqua had disappeared before they finally lowered their heads in sadness, feeling that they had come so close only to fail just when victory was brushing their finger tips. It was only now that they understood the real reason Hades had appeared before them, and for the first time since they had first encountered Hercules's archenemy, Hades had indeed actually succeeded.

They were then brought out of their dismal thoughts when Zack spoke up saying, "Okay, what the heck just happened? First Terra and Aqua are fighting, then we're all acquainted with the angry Ven, a scary sight I might add, then they all take off in separate directions after calling you two 'Sora' and 'Kairi'! Someone wanna clue me in here?"

It was at that time that Sora and Kairi both remembered that Zack was still there and had heard everything, including how in the heat of things, they had accidentally let their real names slip out around Zack. Knowing that there was no point in hiding anything anymore, Sora elected to sit down on one of the bleachers and tell Zack, "You might want to sit down for this, Zack. It's a long, and hard to believe story, but it's also one that you've got to keep secret from everyone you know, especially Hercules, Phil, Cloud, and anyone else you and Cloud are acquainted with."

"Sure thing, but I can't really make any promises in the case of Aerith. That woman just always seems to know when I'm hiding something from her," Zack remarked half-seriously.

Neither of the two time-travelers were sure if he was kidding or not because of that, but they simply elected to settle for that and began filling Zack in on the whole story. As they did though, they found themselves worrying more and more about whether or not they would be able to succeed now that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had all had such a huge blow out, for telling the story to Zack only seemed to be a cruel reminder of just how much was dependant on their success in their mission, and how likely it was that they had now failed everyone and everything that they cared about.

When they finally finished the tale, Zack had to let out a low whistle in reply as he said, "That is pretty amazing and unbelievable, but really heavy too. I don't think I'd be able to handle something that big."

"Hopefully, you'll never have to," Kairi said half-heartedly, as she could not stop thinking about how sad Aqua sounded before she left.

"Well, what're you guys going to do now," Zack asked. "I mean, is there even a chance of getting those three back together again after such a huge argument like that?"

"Of course there is," Sora replied confidently. "Just you watch. We'll have those three back together in no time."

"How do you know," Zack asked, getting a questioning look from Kairi as well, as she was curious about that too.

"I don't," Sora replied with a smile as he rested his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner once again. "I believe we will, and if you believe in something strongly enough, then it will eventually happen."

Both of the two just stared at Sora in astonishment for a minute before they began chuckling, which soon turned into full blown laughter. While the statement was childish, they could not help but agree with Sora. Zack because he felt that there was just something about Sora that made him believe Sora could do as he said, and Kairi because she knew Sora so well. As soon as the shared laughter died down, Zack gave a statement saying that he would keep believing he would become a hero so long as the two kept believing they would succeed in their mission, and then raced off to continued training once again. Sora and Kairi both thanked Zack for that and waved goodbye as he raced off, but as soon as Zack was gone, the two found themselves looking up at the sky with saddened expressions as they wondered what they should do now.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 10:**

 **While the discovery of others who could wield Keyblades and other similar weapons was rather surprising, an even more surprising development came when some of the friends that Sora and Kairi had each made on their adventures suddenly gained the ability to wield the Keyblade. Though unexpected, it is still a welcome development when we discovered that the three could wield the magnificent weapons, and the identities are both surprising and still expected at the same time. The first of these friends was actually the former street rat of Agrabah, Aladdin, and given all that we know of the young lad, and the fact that Sora was forced to reveal the existence of other worlds to him after Princess Jasmine was taken by Maleficent, it really came as no surprise that the quick witted and fast paced boy was deemed worthy of the magnificent weapon. The second of these friends was actually one that Sora and Kairi met on Sora's second adventure, which he shared with Kairi, Roxas, Donald, and Goofy, the hero of the Land of Dragons, Fa Mulan. Like Aladdin, it was not unexpected when Mulan was deemed worthy of the Keyblade, for it would have been more surprising that someone who held a great duty to her home, her honor, and her heart would not be worthy of the Keyblade.**

 **The third and final friend that was deemed worthy of the Keyblade was actually the one that came off as the most surprising and unexpected, for it was none other than the pirate from Port Royal, Captain Jack Sparrow. I myself must confess that I was not all that comfortable with the thought of a Keyblade in the hands of one such as Captain Sparrow, but in time he proved that while he may seem to only care for himself, and often does so, he does indeed care for the safety of the worlds, if for no other reason than so he can continue with the free lifestyle that he enjoys so greatly. Goofy had once told me that he had long thought it was possible that Jack Sparrow could be deemed worthy of a Keyblade since he believed that the pirate captain and Sora held many similar qualities, which I soon saw not long after hearing this when the two were together. With this in mind, I believe that the Keyblades had indeed chosen fine new wielders.**

 **Sadly, it would seem that all good fortune is accompanied by tragedy in these dark days, for we recently lost Isa to darkness. To my further sorrow, it seemed that the young man had allowed himself to fall willingly, as he claimed it was his way of joining the winning team. Though Isa was similar to the Nobody known as Saїx, he was different enough for me to hope that he would not do such a thing. It would seem that those hopes were gravely misplaced. When he learned of what had happened to his best friend, Lea immediately swore to do whatever was necessary to bring Isa back, a vow that he and Sora actually have in common. I can only hope that their promise to save their friends from darkness will grant them the power they need when the time eventually comes.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Well there you have it, an in-depth explanation on Sora and Kairi's Drive Forms, what Keyblades they use with each one that grants use of a second Keyblade, plus Sora and Kairi are now able to use a tier one, Unique Command Style, and the friendship between Ven, Aqua, and Terra is even more of a mess than it was before!...Oh wait, that last one isn't such a good thing. Anywho, I had fully intended for that to happen, because in case you hadn't noticed, the fact that the three agreed to pull it together like that so quickly while things were that tense between them was just asking for things to explode on them, and we all know that if that is the case, then things are likely going to explode on them._**

 ** _Also, when deciding which Keyblades Sora and Kairi would use for their different Drive Forms, I actually went back and looked at all the different Keyblades before making a decision as to which would work best with which form of both characters, and the results are what you saw here in this chapter. Now the reason why I didn't show them using their Final Forms is for two reasons. One, I want to save that for when they're using it in a major battle and not when they're training, and two, I'm still brainstorming ideas on how Kairi's Final Form will look like._**

 ** _Next up, the matter of the Command Styles for Sora and Kairi. Admittedly, I was not sure I was going to give those two the ability to use any of the Command Styles early on in the planning stages of this story, but after thinking about it a little bit, seeing some of the ideas that other writers have come up with for Command Styles that the two could use, and brainstorming a few ideas for good names for said Command Styles, I just felt that I had to include them in one way or another. If you didn't like the names I came up with though, feel free to send me a private message with your own idea on what to call them, based on how I described the way they both work, or just say something in your review._**

 ** _Finally, the matter of the Yen Sid Report mentioning that certain characters could use Keyblades now. This was partly inspired by the fact that Goofy did in fact suggest that Jack Sparrow could one day probably be worthy of a Keyblade since Jack and Sora seemed a bit alike, so it got me to thinking about what other Disney characters could be worthy to wield a Keyblade, and that's what led to the information in that report. If it seems like I'm grasping at straws when it comes to the information I put in those reports though, then you'd be assuming correctly, because I am, so don't be so surprised if this ends up being the last Yen Sid Report you see for a while. Now with all that said and done, Onto the Preview!..._**

 ** _The Keyblade Wielders of the past have fallen apart from each other, and Sora and Kairi are desperate to bring them back together. In an attempt to do just that, they head for Disney Town on Mickey's suggestion so that they may attempt a small plan that will bring the three together in a way that no one would have expected. Will this strange plan work, or will they be facing the final curtain sooner than they wish? Find out next time._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	11. Party in Disney Town

_**AN: RIKU!**_

 _ **Riku: [clearly excited as he rushes in] Yeah, what's up? Do you need me for a major scene in the story?! [gets whapped on the forehead by two of AN's fingers] Ow!**_

 _ **AN: [speaking in Chinese accent] No! You did not get milk like you were asked to the other day! Milk is what keeps author's mind working, body running, and heart beating! You want dead author, no? Then you get milk!**_

 _ **Riku: Yes lyokoMARVEL.**_

 _ **AN: One more thing, a letter came in for you from a certain girl. Said she did not want you to know it was from her and that it was very important you read it.**_

 _ **Riku: It's not from a fan girl, is it?**_

 _ **AN: No. lyokoMARVELanime learned lesson about involving fangirls in these things after last time he did that in Gundam SEED Prime: Destiny Sentinels.**_

 _ **Riku: [accepts letter] Okay, thank you.**_

 _ **AN: One more thing, Sora wanted me to tell you he wants another spar later. Says he wants to try out the Command Style he uses in this story on you.**_

 _ **Riku: He does know that's only something he has in this story, right?**_

 _ **AN: You want to explain that to him? Then don't tell that to lyokoMARVELanime!**_

 _ **Riku: Yes sir.**_

 _ **AN: One more thing, [Riku groans in annoyance] pull that lever over there.**_

 _ **Riku: [looks at lever suspiciously before glancing back] Why? This isn't something your doing because you think I tried to give away a spoiler is it?**_

 _ **AN: No, but it is meant for spoiler prevention purposes. Axel made it and told me to test it before putting it in the official usage.**_

 _ **Riku: Urgh. Fine. [pulls lever and is engulfed by massive smoke]**_

 _ **AN: Aw, nasty! Whoo-wee that stinks like hell! Geez, what did Axel put in...[sees Riku and cringes]**_

 _ **Riku: What? What is it?**_

 _ **AN: Nothing. D-don't look in the mirror.**_

 _ **Riku: Why? [looks in the mirror anyway and see he has lizard skin] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!**_

 _ **AN: I told you not to look in the mirror!**_

 _ **Riku: I'm a lizard! I am mutating into a hideous lizard monster! [gets whapped in the head again] Ow!**_

 _ **AN: Calm down! Lizards shed their skin. Just peal off.**_

 _ **[Riku peals off the lizard skin to reveal his normal skin underneath]**_

 _ **AN: Well, while he finishes up with that, onto the story!**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter XI**

Mickey was panting heavily as he sat on a chair in Yen Sid's tower recovering, having been made to take a break by Leon when the Gunblade wielder had noticed that the mouse king and Roxas were beginning to tire out from constantly fighting. If it had not been for the fact that there was currently a lull in the fighting, and that Cloud and so many others had insisted as well, Mickey and Roxas would have insisted on staying outside and helping their comrades in the fight against Xehanort's forces, but since both of those facts were true, Mickey and Roxas were not able to argue at all. To be honest, the two were actually welcoming the brief rest they were now able to have after they finally sat down and realized just how tired they both were, and they were both hoping that they would be able to peacefully rest for a good long time before having to rejoin the fight again.

Sadly, the chances of a peaceful rest immediately flew out the window like one of the more explosive defective potions that Mickey had brewed in his time with Yen Sid when Naminé's eyes suddenly snapped open and gasped, "Oh no! How could this have happened?"

All attention was immediately turned towards the blonde Nobody as Yen Sid asked, "What is the matter Naminé? Has something happened to Sora, Kairi, and the others in the past?"

"It's much worse than that, Master Yen Sid," Naminé replied. "The five of them were all gathered at Olympus Coliseum to train and show each other all of their skills so that they would be more prepared in future battles, when Hades suddenly interfered. They were able to fight him off, but it seems that his true intentions were successful, as he was able to cause the rift between Masters Aqua, Terra, and Ventus to become even greater than before. The three of them had a terrible fight and have all now gone separate ways to parts unknown."

"Oh no," Mickey shouted. "This is terrible! How can we do anything without those three together?"

"Calm down," Roxas then calmly said in an attempt to keep everyone from going hysterical with panic. "Maybe there's still a way that Sora and Kairi can help those three see reason and get back together. Like you said, we just need them to work together as a real team again."

"Roxas is correct," Yen Sid agreed as he began to stroke his beard in thought. "Even if it would be ideal for them to become the friends they once were again, it may be asking too much for that at this point, especially since we may not have that kind of time for much longer. We must at least mend as much of their bond as we can in a way that will at least lay the foundation for a small glimmer of their friendship to be lit once again."

"Now that's a wonderful idea, but one small question, lads and lass: how are you going to get that to happen," a new voice suddenly asked, drawing everyone's attention to the door that it came from.

They were greeted by the sight of an Arabian boy in a purple vest, white baggy pants, and a small red hat with the Three Wishes Keyblade in hand, a woman with shoulder length, black hair, in a grey outfit with green lining and the Hidden Dragon Keyblade held in a reverse grip, and a pirate in a black vest, boots, and pants, a white shirt, and a red bandana with his own version of the Follow the Wind Keyblade held at his side, and the group immediately recognized them all as Aladdin, Mulan, and Captain Jack Sparrow, respectively. Mickey was the first to answer Jack's question by saying, "Whaddya mean by that, Jack?"

"Well ye see, I know that you already know this, but you're all here in this time, while our mates Sora and Kairi are back there, waiting for whatever brilliant plan you lot can come up with," Jack explained as he dismissed his Keyblade. "And from my understanding, your basically trying to get three mates, who're no longer mates, to basically just gather round, have a nice bottle o' rum, and say 'no worries'. Am I wrong?" When he received no reply to indicate that he was wrong, Jack went on to add, "Now, back home in Port Royal, or rather among my fellow pirates and I, if we were to feel as wronged by another as those three chaps in the past seem to feel towards each other, there'd be only two ways it could go. One way would be to basically draw our swords and just hash it out until one of us is dead or until we end up in the state of a draw and stare each other down until we start laughing like no tomorrow."

"And the other way," Roxas prodded, as he was absolutely certain that Jack's first suggestion would not be something that would go over well if they actually tried that.

"Well, we basically just settle down, have a few drinks, exchange a few laughs, and make a deal that would allow us to evenly split the profits that we each made after said betrayal. Basically, we engage in an unofficial parlay, savvy?"

While Jack's second suggestion was a bit more suiting for pirates, the idea behind it was much more appealing than the one involving the first suggestion. Having a small moment where Aqua, Terra, and Ventus could just stop everything for a minute, and take part in a more relaxing and enjoyable activity that was not training or fighting forces of darkness was definitely a plausible option, but the only question was just what they could have Sora and Kairi do and where. "Too bad we don't know whether or not something like the Chinese New Year Festival is happening around the time that Sora and Kairi are currently in," Mulan commented.

The minute he heard that, Mickey's face instantly lit up into a wide smile that everyone had long since come to associate with the mouse king ever since they had first met him. "That's it," Mickey cried out. "There may not be a Chinese New Year Festival, but there is one festival that I know for a fact was going on around the time of Aqua, Terra, and Ven's journey."

"Really," Aladdin asked excitedly. "Well do you know if there was something going on at that festival that could help those three get back together again?"

"Of course I do, after all, it is a festival that was taking place on my homeworld," Mickey revealed.

Everyone was about to further question Mickey on the subject, when the sound of an explosion reached everyone's ears, prompting Roxas to race over to the window to see what was wrong. "Shit," Roxas cursed as he saw what was happening and turned back to report the news to all who were gathered in the room. "Xehanort's just sent out his next wave of forces, and there's a massive wave of Heartless and Nobodies as far as the eye can see!"

"We'll handle them, you guys just focus on getting the message through to Sora and Kairi," Aladdin said as he led Mulan and Jack back out to the battlefield. Mickey and Roxas both exchanged a nod between them before they both turned to Naminé so that Mickey could explain his plan to the blonde. When she heard what Mickey had in mind, Naminé found that she could not stop beaming with excitement as she relayed the message through to their friends in the past, feeling that even if the plan did not work, it would end up providing many people a very good show.

* * *

Terra was currently racing through the Lanes Between on his way to Mirage Arena, feeling that he needed to get a few things off his chest by fighting in the arena's many simulations and battle programs. Admittedly, he did regret what he said to Aqua, but he still meant what he had said, for it was merely some of his old and apparently some of his still present feelings being given voice. At the same time though, he knew that what Ventus had said was correct, because he could not deny that he was spending more time blaming Aqua or someone else for things that were just as much his fault as they were anyone else's. Did that really mean that he was wrong to lash out in the way he did, and if so, was it even possible for him to set things right?

One thing seemed to make him think that it was possible, and that was a small encounter he had on what he believed to be Sora's homeworld, an assumption he made from the fact that the island world he had landed on not only had the tree with star shaped fruit that Aqua had once told him about and that Sora had said was actually on his world, but also from the fact that he saw two young boys playing on that island's beach, one of which looked exactly like Sora would have most likely looked at that age. The second boy he met was someone that he assumed was the other friend of Sora and Kairi's that the two had often told him and the others about, and the moment he saw him, Terra could instantly feel a powerful light coming from the boy. After talking with the young boy, Terra found that the two of them were very much alike, and the reasons that the boy had given Terra for desiring power was all the prompting that Terra needed to perform the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony, passing on the power to wield the mystical weapon to the young man that he had found.

The reason that the boy had told Terra he wanted power for was so that he could protect the things that matter, like his friends, and hearing that made Terra realize that he was willing to do whatever it takes to protect his friends as well, even if it did not seem like he was from their point of view. This realization made Terra realize that there was a likely chance that he was not showing that enough and he knew that he had to make things right between him, Ventus, and Aqua as soon as he could, but given how their last conversation had gone, Ventus and Aqua were about as likely to listen to Terra as Xehanort was to give up his evil ways and end his own existence for killing his old friend. These thoughts were the reason for Terra's frustration, and for why he was heading for Mirage Arena as fast as he could.

At least, Terra was heading for Mirage Arena, until he heard Sora's voice calling out to him. "Sora, what's wrong," Terra asked aloud, knowing that Sora was trying to reach him through the D-Link.

 _"_ _There's trouble in Disney Town,"_ Sora's voice shouted out. _"Kairi and I are already here, but we can't deal with it on our own! You've got to get over here fast!"_

Terra did not need to be told twice, and he immediately spun his Keyblade Glider around and blasted towards Disney Town as fast as he could.

* * *

Despite the beautiful sunset that lay before the peaceful shores of the world she was currently on, Aqua could not find any enjoyment in it as she continued to softly cry her eyes out. Her last encounter with Terra and Ventus at Olympus Coliseum had truly hurt her to the point of heartbreak, but it had also served as a wake-up call for her. She was supposed to be the most levelheaded of their little trio of friends, and yet ever since that first argument when their friendship had fallen apart, she had become nothing more than a shadow of her former self. The most prime examples of this was how she had acted towards Sora and Kairi when they had first arrived in this time, how she was so quick to give up when others could have likely needed her help, and especially how she had been acting towards Terra, and even Ventus in a small way.

All these things had resulted from the fact that she had lost confidence in herself and that she was still so upset with Terra for something that he had no control over, and in not attempting to fix things between them, she had unknowingly caused Ventus to be just as hurt by her actions. Sure, Aqua may have done some good things since meeting Sora and Kairi, but the fact that her anger and resentment were such guiding factors in her actions made her feel as though it was all just an attempt to make her feel better about her own problems. Still, she was able to cheer up a little bit due to an unexpected encounter she had a short while ago.

After she had first arrived on the island world she was currently on, she instantly realized that it was Sora's home as she immediately spotted the tree that grew star-shaped fruit, and not even a second later, she saw the younger version of the Keyblade Master himself racing with another boy named Riku. When she approached the two boys, she could tell that someone had passed the power of the Keyblade to Riku, leaving her to wonder how Sora obtained the power himself. She had to assume for the moment that it was because of the bond that the two boys shared, and that was why she told the younger version of her newest friend that he should always lookout for Riku no matter what, even if the silver haired boy seemed like he was losing his way before letting the two boys go on back home for the day.

"One Keyblade is enough for any friendship," Aqua muttered to herself as she looked towards the sunset. "Just look what happened to our friendship Ven, Terra. Could history have repeated itself in that regard with Sora and his friends though?"

Aqua did not have any more time to dwell on the matter, as she soon heard a familiar voice calling out, _"Aqua! Can you hear me, Aqua? Please, answer!"_

"Kairi," Aqua shouted in reply as she pulled out her Wayfinder so she could better focus on the D-Link that Kairi had established. "What's wrong?"

 _"_ _There's a problem in Disney Town,"_ Kairi informed the blunette. _"You've got to help us before it's too late! Please, hurry!"_

"I'll be right there," Aqua stated as she summoned her armor and Keyblade Glider before taking off into the sky and back into the Lanes Between so she could reach the town that she and her friends had all visited at one point.

* * *

Kairi unfolded her hands to see Sora lowering the small, blue gem that he had once acquired in Twilight Town, which he was using to strengthen the power of his D-Link, indicating that he had just finished getting in touch with Ventus. The smile that the spiky haired boy was giving Kairi instantly told her that he was able to convince Ven to head to their current location as fast as possible, and now all they had to do was wait for the three to arrive. Kairi took the opportunity to turn to the queen of Disney Castle and say, "Thanks again so much for doing this, Minnie."

"Oh it's my pleasure, dear," Minnie assured the redhead. "After all, Aqua, Ventus, and Terra are all good friends to each other and to everyone here in Disney Town. It would be a shame to see that friendship end so terribly, so if there's anything I can do to help, then I will."

"Glad to hear that. Now all we need to do is find what we need to make sure that this works," Sora said as he began looking through some things close to where the two girls were talking. He then suddenly paused in his searching though as he looked to Kairi and asked, "Are we _sure_ this is the best way to get them back together?"

Kairi rolled her eyes a bit before replying, "Yes Sora, we are. Naminé said herself that this was the best idea that Mickey had, and that there was a strong chance it would succeed if we do it right."

"I know, but still…" Sora muttered, mumbling the last part so softly that Kairi could not hear it.

"What was that," the auburn haired Princess of Heart asked.

"I said I…"

"What?"

"I don't like having to sing in front of an audience like this," Sora sighed in defeat.

"Why not," Kairi asked, doing her best to keep herself from giggling at the expense of the boy she was in love with. "You didn't have a problem that time in Atlantica."

"I know, but that was mostly because we were doing it to help Ariel feel better," Sora immediately reminded her.

"So? How's this any different," Kairi asked. "Besides, you have an amazing singing voice, one that would make all the girls go crazy for you. It certainly puts a load of butterflies in my stomach whenever I heard you sing."

Sora and Kairi were both blushing after the redhead had said this, both for similar reasons, but before Sora could ask if Kairi really meant what she said, they heard the tell-tale signs of a portal in the world barrier opening up, and they looked up just in time to see Aqua, Terra, and Ventus's Keyblade Gliders landing in different locations that the three could not see one and other from. "They're here," Kairi exclaimed, getting serious once again while giving herself a mental shake in order to lose her blush. "Did you find it yet?"

"No, not yet," Sora stated as he scrambled to look through the records he was searching before.

Kairi was about to join Sora in his search when Minnie suddenly held one out and asked, "Is this the one you're looking for?"

Kairi and Sora both looked to see that it was indeed the one they were looking for, and they immediately thanked Minnie for her help. Kairi then summoned her Keyblade and raised it into the air as she said, "Now, let's get our friends over here as quickly as possible…Thunder!"

* * *

While Ventus was glad to be back in Disney Town, and that he was able to stop and say hi to Hewy, Dewy, and Louie for a minute, he was honestly hoping that he could have some time to himself before getting drawn back into the action again. If he were to be honest, he really felt bad about how he blew up at Terra and Aqua the way he did, but they were both being incredibly stubborn about the whole matter, and it was trying even his last nerves. He knew that he could have dealt with it in a better way than by adding to the shouting, but he was in the heat of the moment, and in that situation, he felt that raising his voice in the way he did was the only way to get his point across, especially since neither of the two were listening to a word that Sora and Kairi were trying to say about calming down before the situation got out of hand.

Ven was immediately brought back to the present though, as he paused to see a lightning bolt that could only have come from a Thunder spell light up the sky in the area of a small hilltop that seemed to have a large statue with a microphone in its hand, which looked a lot like Mickey in a rock star outfit. Ven looked around for a minute before he spotted a dog boy in blue jeans and a red sweater skateboarding past him, and he immediately raced over to the skateboarder and asked, "Hey, can you tell me what's over in that direction?"

The skateboarder paused a minute to look at Ven like he was nuts for a minute before he shrugged and said, "Yeah that's Sound Hill, the place where the singing competition is taking place."

"Singing competition?"

"Yeah it's this big event that's second only to the Million Dreams Award where a bunch of groups enter and sing a little karaoke to win a big prize," the skateboarder told Ven. "Say you new in town or something?"

"Uh, not exactly," Ven replied. "I've only been here once before to be honest, so this is the first I've heard about that. My name's Ventus, but everyone calls me Ven."

"Oh so you're Ven," the skateboarder exclaimed. "Nice to meet one of the other Million Dreams Award winners at last. I'm Max, Max Goof."

"Huh? What do you mean 'one of the other winners'," Ven asked Max.

"Well didn't you know? You and a couple of other guys actually tied for the award," Max explained. "A woman named Aqua and someone named Terra, but only Aqua was around to accept. It's a real shame too, if you ask me."

Ven had to give a small smile at hearing that, as he felt that it was probably a good sign that he and his two best friends were actually much closer to rebuilding their friendship than he thought if they all won the Million Dreams Award. When he glanced back at Max, Ven thought of something else and asked, "Say, you wouldn't be related to a guy named Goofy, would you?"

"Yeah, he's my dad," Max replied. "I know that it's probably cool to some people how he's the king's captain of the guard or whatever, but to be honest, it's not as impressive as you may think, considering he's so…well, goofy."

Ven had to nod in agreement with Max on that comment, and was about to say something when he noticed the bolt of lightning had appeared in the area of Sound Hill again. "Well, nice to meet you, Max, and your dad actually seemed like a really cool guy when I met him, but I've gotta get over there, so I'll see you around," Ven stated as he raced off again.

Max could only wave goodbye as Ven took off, and was about to get on his board so he could see the singing competition himself when he noticed a tall man with brown hair and in strange clothes racing off in the same direction that Ventus had just headed, followed a few minutes later by a woman with blue hair that he instantly recognized from the Million Dreams Award Ceremony as Aqua. Max just stared after the three for a minute before he finally shrugged and skated away, thinking that it probably was not all that important of a matter for him to concern himself with.

* * *

When Aqua had finally reached the stadium that the singing competition was taking place, the only thing she found was a massive crowd before the stage, and not so much as one sign of a single Unversed, Heartless, or any other variety of dark creatures. After taking one more glance around and then sighing to herself upon receiving the same result, Aqua decided that she should probably take a break and at least watch one performance in order to clear her mind, but she did not realize that Terra and Ventus were in the area and had just decided to do the same thing. Another thing that none of the three realized was that two particular people did, and took their arrival as their cue to start.

When the music started up, everyone instantly began to cheer a little at the sound of the music, but when the spotlight revealed who the performer was, Aqua, Terra, and Ven's eyes all bugged out when they saw a familiar head of spiky brown hair on stage, leading them all to exclaim, "Sora?!"

If Sora heard the three's exclamation, he made no indication of it, as he was quickly swept up into the music of the song as he started to sing.

 _"_ _Got myself a notion, one I know you'll understand. Set the world in motion, by reaching out for each other's hands._

 _Maybe we'll discover what we should've known all along (yeah). One way or another, together's where we both belong._

 _If we listen to each other's hearts,_

 _We'll find we're never too far apart,_

 _And maybe love is the reason why_

 _For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye."_

When Sora paused in his singing for a minute, his eyes glanced out over the audience as he quickly spotted the three Keybearers of the past before giving a small nod to Kairi, who was waiting off stage, and singing a few lyrics when Sora could not go solo from where she was.

 _"If a wall should come between us, too high to climb, too hard to break through. I know that love will lead us and find a way to bring me to you._

 _So don't be in a hurry, think before you count us out (oohh). You don't have to worry; I won't ever let you down."_

 _"_ _Nothing's gonna stop us now."_

 _"If we listen to each other's hearts,_

 _We'll find we're never too far apart,_

 _And maybe love is the reason why_

 _For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye."_

As Sora sung the last line of the chorus, Kairi cast a small wind spell beneath Ventus's feet that propelled him up onto the stage, right next to Sora, and into a waiting spotlight. Terra and Aqua were both naturally shocked to see that their blonde friend was up on the stage, but they soon saw that Ven had frozen with a sudden bout of stage fright, which obviously resulted from his being flown up onstage. Seeing this, Terra immediately raced forward and shouted out, "Ven, Ven! Remember, let your body move you!"

When Ven turned towards Terra's voice, a massive smile lit up his face before he nodded in recognition of Terra's advice and started to do a few dances moves of his own as Sora smirked and continued the song.

 _"_ _If you're ever lonely stop! You don't have to be. After all this slowly, I'll be there for just you and me."_

 _"_ _Take a look inside and see."_

When Ven suddenly started to trip up on his own feet, Terra immediately reacted and jumped up on stage himself before catching the blonde by his hand and then pulling Ven back up before saying, "Come on, Ven. I thought you were better than that."

"Like you could do better," Ven scoffed with a challenging smirk.

"Watch and learn," Terra replied, and he then started to break out in a little dance number of his own that got Ven, Sora, and Kairi laughing at how ridiculous it was, and even a few giggles from Aqua when she saw from where she still was in the audience.

 _"_ _If we listen to each other's hearts,_

 _We'll find we're never too far apart,_

 _And maybe love is the reason why_

 _For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye."_

Seeing her friends have so much fun on stage, Aqua could not help but jump up onstage herself and then ask, "Room for one more?"

The only response she received was a pair of welcoming smirks as Kairi raced out onstage to join in as well, while Sora finished up the song with a grin.

 _"_ _If we listen to each other's hearts,_

 _We'll find we're never too far apart,_

 _And maybe love is the reason why_

 _For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye."_

When all five struck a pose on the final note, the crowd immediately erupted in massive cheers and applause, bringing bright smiles to the faces of all five Keyblade Wielders as they found themselves enjoying the moment for all it was worth.

* * *

A little while after the excitement from the Keybearers' performance had finally died down and some other acts had begun to perform, Sora and Kairi found themselves standing off to the side as the three friends faced each other with neutral, yet somber faces, an awkward and tense atmosphere hanging in the air due to each not knowing where to start or what to say.

"Listen, guys/I'm sorry Terra, Aqua, I just/You guys, I," the three then suddenly said all at once, stopping immediately after they realized that they had all tried to speak at once.

The three then exchanged a small smile before they all giggled a little until Terra cleared his throat so that he could start off by saying his piece. "I know I haven't been the best friend, or Keyblade Wielder," Terra began. "When I started out on my journey, I was so determined to prove that I had what it took to be a master, that I forgot that I didn't have to do everything alone, and it allowed the darkness in my heart to begin to lead me astray. We all know what happened after that, but now, I want to make things right. I don't care what happens from here on out, but I just want you guys to know, I don't blame either of you for anything that happened. If anything, I was really just trying to hide how much I blamed myself for it all."

"Hey, come on Terra," Ven then said. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing for how I snapped at you guys. I guess I spent so much time trying to stay away from you guys that I forgot what it really meant to have your friends by your side, and after hearing you two go at it so much, I just lost it and took it out on you. To be honest, a lot of what I said was me lashing out because I was afraid of what will happen if we keep going the way we've been going. I just…I don't want to lose you guys again. Not like last time, and not in any way that could be brought about by Xehanort or Vanitas, or even me if they're able to forge the χ-blade. I couldn't be able to live with myself if that were to happen."

"Ven, neither of us blame you for that. If anything, I should be the one apologizing," Aqua then told the blonde while she was really addressing both of them. "I spent so many years hating myself and really anyone I could rightfully hate for what had happened, not just to our home and Master Eraqus, but to us as well, that I couldn't stop myself from unknowingly letting it guide my actions, even if it wasn't because of darkness. If I could go back and do things over again so that nothing that ever happened to cause us to end up where we are now had happened, I would, but I guess that all I can do now is just say I'm sorry and try to make things right, even if I don't feel like it's enough."

The three just looked at one and other with sad looks on their faces that soon turned to small smiles as Terra held his hand forward and said, "How about for now, we all agree that no matter what happens from this point on, we at least try to be friends to each other, even if we can't become as close as we used to be. You with me?"

"Yeah," Ven replied as he placed his hand atop Terra's.

"Agreed," Aqua replied. "After all, we make a great team. One that the worlds are counting on to protect them."

"The worlds and the future you mean," Sora reminded them as he subconsciously slipped his hand into Kairi's, interlacing their fingers as he did, much to the redhead's welcoming surprise as she returned the gesture by leaning her head onto Sora's shoulder.

The three looked between themselves and nodded as Terra looked back to Sora and Kairi as he asked, "So, do we get back on track with helping you guys with your mission, or do you two lovebirds want a minute to enjoy the Dream Festival that the three of us all apparently got to take some time to enjoy."

As Aqua and Ventus laughed at their friends comment, Sora and Kairi both blushed up a storm, but found that they were either unable or unwilling to part from their current position despite their protests saying they were not lovebirds. Aqua was about to add on to what Terra said when they heard Minnie preparing to announce the winners of the competition, and they immediately settled down so that they could listen in, because even though Sora and Kairi had admitted to the fact that they only entered in an attempt to get Terra, Ventus, and Aqua to talk to each other about what happened, they were all still interested in whether or not they had won.

"And the winners of this year's Million Dreams Music Festival are…Ventus, Aqua, Terra, Sora, and Kairi! Congratulations!"

"Unbelievable," Aqua exclaimed as the crowd erupted in applause while a recording of their performance began to play for the audience. "First the three of us all win the Million Dreams Award, and now all five of us win this? What're the odds?"

"I'd think it's pretty much a guarantee if this was some crazy story that someone was writing about us," Ventus said as he and Sora both assumed their usual relaxed poses while the group walked out onstage to accept their award.

"Don't be silly, Ven," Terra chuckled. "A story about a bunch of people who go around to other worlds, saving them from darkness, and facing dangerous, powerful enemies? Sounds more like something that would make a good video game if you ask me."

All five of the Keyblade Wielders had to exchange a small laugh at that comment as they accepted the award, along with a special flavor of ice cream made just for each of them, Aqua's being the one that she received upon discovering that she, Terra, and Ven had won the Million Dreams Award, and each of them found the flavors they received to be immensely enjoyable. As the crowd's cheers continued to ring out, they found that even though they did not know where their journey was going to go from there, they were not worried about what they may or may not face, because they knew that they had all of their friends watching their backs once again.

* * *

"Well so much for Flame-Brain's little stunt," Vanitas said as he looked on at the image of what had happened in Disney Town with Xehanort and his Heartless and Nobody from the future. "You sure it was a good idea to bring that guy in on this plan of yours?"

"Of course," Xehanort insisted. "As our two friends here have pointed out, Hades will one day prove to be an invaluable ally in the coming struggles between light and darkness. Still, you are right about one thing; the fact that those two interlopers were able to get Eraqus's students to settle things from their latest spat so easily was completely unexpected. If we truly wish for these plans to succeed, we will have to take much more drastic measures."

"I believe that I have something in mind," Xemnas stated.

Ansem had to smirk when he noticed the look on the Nobody's face and said, "If you're thinking what I believe you are, then I must say that while such a thought is dangerous to our plans should it fail, it would also be just what we need to accelerate it by years, if not centuries."

"What are you two geezers going on about," Vanitas asked.

Neither of the two sides of Xehanort from the future were hesitant to reveal what they wanted to make their next move, and Xehanort and Vanitas both had to smirk before chuckling darkly after hearing it, showing that they approved of the idea, completely. "A brilliant plan indeed, as expected of two who are each half of my being," Xehanort stated. "All it needs now is the right bait."

"If its bait you need, then I know just the thing," Vanitas said as he waved a hand over the image to reveal a world that looked like an island paradise, and when they saw the occupants of this island world, the three dark masters had to nod in approval of what the master of the Unversed had in mind for the bait that they would need. A sign that their terrible plan was likely to prove to be one of the most terrible challenges that the heroes of the Keyblade had faced yet.

* * *

 ** _AN: And that's a wrap. Sorry about there being a lack of a Yen Sid Report today, but like I said before, I am running out of ideas on what to write in those things, so don't be surprised if you don't see another one for a while. Also, check out the cameos in this chapter. Aladdin, Mulan, Jack Sparrow, and Max! Talk about crazy! Now there's just the question of what the gruesome foursome is up to now._**

 ** _Riku: Whew, finally finished and back to my old beautiful self._**

 ** _Axel: [bursts into the room with excited grin] Well, how'd it go? Did it work?  
_**

 ** _AN: That depends. Was it meant to be a giant stink bomb that gave someone lizard skin?_**

 ** _Axel: Yes to the first thing, no to the second. It was supposed to change them into something, but not a lizard man._**

 ** _AN: What then?_**

 ** _Axel: Sorry, no spoilers until its finished._**

 ** _Riku: Hate you. Hate you both. [gets whapped in the head again] Ow! STOP DOING THAT! [gets another whap] OW!_**

 ** _AN: First one was for being party pooper, second was for disrespect to the boss!_**

 ** _Riku: Please, your no more than boss of me than the real big bad of this story is the..._**

 ** _AN: AIYA! SPOILER! Axel!_**

 ** _Axel: Way ahead of ya! [pushes Riku into the lever he previously pulled, triggering the device again]_**

 ** _AN: Aw, dude! We really should've opened a window first!_**

 ** _Axel: No kidding._**

 ** _[Riku starts screaming in horror at seeing he has lizard skin again]_**

 ** _AN: Sheesh, some people are just so shallow. One more thing, time to move onto the preview!..._**

 ** _Another problem has arisen in the future, as one of Sora and Kairi's most trusted allies and friends suddenly begins to change from the peaceful, kind, and brave soul he is, into a terrible monster that is quick to lash out and destroy anything he sets his sights on. Suspecting that Xehanort and his forces in the past are behind the terrible act, Mickey and Yen Sid find they have no choice but to have Naminé_** ** _inform the Keybearers of the situation, even though they suspect a very likely trap to be waiting for them. Just what sort of terrible danger will the five heroes face on this island world, and how much help can they be to the small friend that they all know so well? Find out the answers to the questions and more, as the adventure continues to a new stage, next time._**

 ** _Axel: Quick question before we end, why're you talking like that?_**

 ** _AN: Been watching a bit of Jackie Chan Adventures lately, and talking like Uncle is a lot of fun. One more thing, to you readers..._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	12. Aloha Disaster

**_Xehanort: Greeting readers and writers of this fine website. If you are wondering where the author is today, I can honestly say that I do not know, as there was no one here when I arrived._**

 ** _AN: YOU NEED TO GET YOUR EYES CHECKED THEN! I'M OVER HERE!_**

 ** _Sora: What'd you do to lyokoMARVELanime, Xehanort?! And where is he anyway? [starts looking around for the source of the voice]_**

 ** _AN: HERE! LOOK ON THE TABLE!_**

 ** _[everyone turns and sees a crystal ball with author's head in it]_**

 ** _Terra: lyokoMARVEL, are you alright? [picks up the ball]_**

 ** _AN: Do I LOOK alright to you?! I'M NOTHING BUT A HEAD IN A BALL! WHAT DO YOU THINK?!_**

 ** _Aqua: How did this happen?  
_**

 ** _AN: Let's just say, I need a new Deadpool security system and leave it at that._**

 ** _Xemnas: There seems to be a note here as well. [picks up and reads note] To discover any secret you wish for from the author, simply think of what you want to know and wave your hand over the ball._**

 ** _AN: HAH! Good luck with that!_**

 ** _Ansem, Seeker of Darkness: I say we try it anyway. I'm curious to learn of a few things that will happen in later chapters._**

 ** _AN: No, no wait! I'll tell you if you let me out!_**

 ** _All villains: Really?_**

 ** _AN: Yes, come closer. [villains do as asked] There's a big event that happens to certain characters at the place you all know as [blows a raspberry]_**

 ** _Xemnas: BAH! Okay, Imma doing this. Let us see the deepest secrets of your mind.[waves hand over orb and causes a large pizza to appear over AN's head] Three meat pizzas?_**

 ** _AN: What? lyokoMARVELanime is hungry._**

 ** _Xehanort: Let me. I'll show you how it's done. [waves hand and image of Sora, Kairi, and all the other heroes of Kingdom Hearts are seen hitting him over and over again with their Keyblades] What is this?!_**

 ** _AN: Your destiny, oh dark one._**

 ** _Sephiroth: Hmph. Pitiful fools. Allow me to demonstrate. [waves hand and image of Cloud giving him a spanking while he cries like a baby appears] WHAT THE HELL?!_**

 ** _AN: Need I repeat the words from earlier. Now if you guys are done, I'd like to get back to normal now._**

 ** _Riku: I don't know, I kinda like you this way. Maybe I'll be able to make you give me a bigger role in the story._**

 ** _AN: OH, YOU WANT A PIECE OF LYOKOMARVELANIME!...just as soon as I find my other pieces, but when that happens...[image appears in orb of everyone of the villains getting hounded by numerous gags, and Riku getting the worst of it]_**

 ** _Riku: We'll start working right away, and I'll be happy to lead the efforts._**

 ** _AN: One more thing, somebody do the disclaimer so that chapter can start!_**

 ** _Sora: I've got it covered._**

 ** _lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story._**

* * *

 **Chapter XII**

The heroes defending Yen Sid's tower had honestly thought that after getting the three Keybearers of the past back together again, it would be the end of the problems that they were facing, and as such, they did not realize just how wrong they were in that assumption until something else happened that could likely prove to be just as dangerous. Shortly after Sora and Kairi had reported that their exploits in Disney Town were a success, something happened to one of their strongest soldiers on the battlefield that caused him to start lashing out and attacking their other allies. It may have lasted for a short period before he was back to fighting against the forces of darkness, but when it happened a second and third time, they all knew that something was very wrong. Thankfully, Aladdin and Mulan were quick to react and keep their ally busy long enough for Jack Sparrow to capture the changing warrior before bringing him to the tower where he now was, contained inside an indestructible glass containment unit that Master Yen Sid had on hand.

Now all they could do was look on in worry and concern as their small, blue friend went from sad and kind to raging and monstrous every other minute. "I just don't get it," Roxas huffed in annoyance. "What the hell is wrong with him that's causing him to act like this?"

"Roxas, language," Naminé scolded from where she was standing over Sora and Kairi as she kept the spell keeping the two in the past going.

"Really not the time for that Naminé," Roxas retorted. "Besides, it's a legitimate question."

"One that I fear we all know the answer to," Yen Sid stated.

"You think that something's happened in the past that's causing him to act like this," Mickey asked.

"Yes," Yen Sid replied. "As you all may or may not know, when our small friend here first came into being, he was meant to be a terrible force for destruction, but something happened along the way that turned him into the kindhearted and courageous soul that we all know today. One thing that happened was that he came into contact with Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, but as for the more profound thing that happened later on, I cannot say what it was. I believe that the second thing is what Xehanort and his allies from the timeline that should have been are somehow attempting to prevent that from happening, and we all know what we must do in response to such a threat."

Everyone nodded in agreement with the wizened sorcerer, but Roxas had an apprehensive look on his face that said otherwise, and he did not hesitated for a minute to voice his concerns. "What if that's what they want," the blonde said, getting confused looks from everyone, prompting him to explain what he meant. "They obviously already know that Sora and Kairi are getting information about anything that changes in the future, and that they'll move to prevent that from happening however they can, so what if they're expecting them to go and help, only to spring a trap on them that could destroy any chance we have of making this whole thing work?"

"Roxas has a point," Goofy agreed. "I mean, Xehanort isn't exactly one to try a move he already knows won't work unless he has another reason, right?"

"Well what else can we do," Donald quaked in question. "We can't just leave him like this until we finally lose him to darkness."

"And we won't," Mickey stated. "Even if it is a trap, we should never hesitate to help our friends out. Sora and Kairi never have before, and that's been all the encouragement that many of us have ever needed to do the same, so why stop doing so now?"

Everyone had to nod in agreement, and thus Naminé was allowed to inform the two time travelers of what had just transpired, sparing one last worried glance in the direction of their friend, Stitch before she did.

* * *

Sora and Kairi were currently sitting on a small bench in the Town Square of Disney Town as they waited for their three friends from the past to finish what they were currently doing. When the topic came up, they were honestly not surprised that it did, and neither of them were going to argue given how insistent the three were on getting one important matter dealt with, or rather, how two of the three were on getting it done. Kairi could still remember full well what had happened leading up to where they were now. They had just left Sound Hill so that they could prepare to continue on their journey, when Ventus had suddenly stopped them to bring the matter up…

* * *

 _When Ven had stopped in the middle of the path, everyone's attention was immediately redirected to the blonde. "What's wrong Ven," Sora asked. "We should probably get moving again as quickly as possible before something else happens."_

 _"_ _I know, but there's something really important we've got to take care of first," Ven stated as he threw a small look towards his older brother figure. "Terra, I think you know what I'm talking about."_

 _Terra was naturally a bit confused by Ven's meaning before a look of realization dawned on his face and he gave a knowing smirk to the blonde as they both turned to look at the female member of their trio. Aqua was naturally a bit nervous when she saw the mischievous looks that her friends were giving her, but she could not stop herself from asking the all important question that one would always ask in such situations. "What?"_

 _"_ _Now Aqua, there's really no easy way to say this, but we want you to keep in mind that when we do say it, we're telling you as your friends, and that we'd only tell you if it was for your own good," Terra began, immediately making the blunette even more nervous when he did._

 _"_ _Aqua…you NEED to get a haircut, NOW," Ventus finally stated, emphatically as he jabbed a finger in the direction of Aqua's still long hair. "I don't care what you say to the contrary, it needs to be done. Not only is the long hair a bad look for you, but if you keep it at that length it's just going to get in the way when we're fighting."_

 _"_ _Wha…oh, no, that…that really won't be necessary," Aqua tried to insist, even though she knew it was likely a futile effort since Terra and Ventus were both already teaming up against her on the matter. That likelihood quickly became a fact when the two grabbed Aqua's arms and began dragging her off to the nearest hair salon that they could find, with the woman herself protesting against it the entire way there. The sight of the three like this was more than enough to drive both Kairi and Sora to laughter, which immediately drew the threes attention to them._

 _"_ _Hey, what're you two laughing at," Terra demanded._

 _"_ _Sorry, we can't help it," Sora shrugged through his chuckles._

 _"_ _You three would make the weirdest siblings we've ever seen," Kairi told them as she and Sora broke out into laughter again._

 _The three were all engulfed in a sudden wave of déjà vu when the redhead told them that, and found they could not stop themselves from laughing along with the two, a fact that Aqua attempted to take advantage of so that she could sneak away long enough to summon her armor and get airborne before anyone noticed. Sadly, her efforts were all in vain, as she was quickly caught by Terra._

 _"_ _Hey, where do you think you're going," Terra asked in a teasing tone as he caught Aqua by the arm once more._

 _"_ _Nowhere, I've just got to use the little girl's room," Aqua tried to insist as she struggled to get out of Terra's grip._

 _"_ _Well, you can use the one at the hair salon then, because you are going to get a haircut, missy," Ven said as he and Terra started guiding Aqua to said location once again._

 _"_ _Yeah, besides, it wouldn't be right for a Keyblade Master to look like she's a shaggy dog," Terra added in further teasing, just to get a groan from Aqua and a laugh from Ven in response, eliciting further laughter from Sora and Kairi as they did._

* * *

Kairi still had a small case of the chuckles at the memory every time she thought about it, but Sora was definitely not complaining about hearing what he considered to be one of the most beautiful sounds in all the worlds. As the two sat there, Sora also found himself staring at Kairi as well, almost as though he were completely mesmerized by her very appearance when she was doing something as simple as just sitting next to him as they waited for their friends, and as he continued to stare, he found himself imagining running his fingers through Kairi's lovely, auburn hair, brushing her skin for just a minute, before finally leaning in to meet her lips with his own. The sound of Kairi's angelic voice calling out to him immediately snapped him out of his daydream, bringing him back to reality so that he could ask, "What's up, Kairi?"

Kairi could only giggle for a minute at Sora's most recent moment trip to fantasy land before she said, "I was just asking you if you wanted to go check out some of the other attractions here while we were waiting for the others."

"I don't know," Sora shrugged as he leaned back on the bench with his hands behind his head. "I wouldn't want them to worry if we suddenly went off on our own like that and make them think we ditched them or that something terrible happened. Besides, I'd honestly rather just sit here and relax for as long as I can."

"Sora, you lazy bum," Kairi chuckled, teasingly. "I should've figured you'd rather just go off and find somewhere to start snoozing."

"Hey, in my defense, we haven't really had much of a real chance to so much and stop so that we can catch our breath since this whole thing started," Sora immediately retorted. "I mean, gimme a break, Kairi. You can't honestly tell me that you're not a little tired."

"No not…not really," Kairi tried to say, but the fact that she had let out a small yawn part way through practically screamed otherwise. Sora was about to give a smart remark in response to Kairi's failed attempt at hiding how tired she really was, when a sudden weight on his shoulder caused him to turn and see that the Princess of Heart had fallen asleep and ended up using his shoulder as a pillow. Sora could not help but blush at the fact that Kairi was actually sleeping on him like that, but if he were being honest, he was not complaining both because he liked having Kairi next to him like this, and because he could feel himself beginning to fall asleep, until he allowed himself to do just that, with his own head resting atop of Kairi's and one of his arms subconsciously wrapping around her shoulders as he did.

* * *

About an hour later or so, Terra and Ven finally stepped out of the hair salon before they both looked back to see that Aqua was not following them. "Oh come on, already," Ven groaned. "We told you, you look great. Just get out here so we can show those two and the rest of the world already."

"No, nope, no way, not gonna happen," Aqua's voice insisted from where she was currently hiding behind the door.

"Well, you're gonna have to come out sometime, or did you forget that we've got an important mission to complete," Terra reminded the stubborn girl. He then turned away as Aqua tried to say something in retort, and soon had a smirk on his face when he spotted a very interesting sight not too far away from them. "Well would you look at that."

"What," Ven asked as he turned away from the door to see what Terra saw, and the minute he did, he too had a smirk on his face as well. "Well isn't that sweet?"

"What're you guys talking about? What's going on," Aqua asked.

"Come out here and see for yourself," Terra told Aqua.

"Nice try, but I'm not falling for that," Aqua immediately insisted.

"Suit yourself, but you don't know what you're missing," Ven shrugged as he assumed his usual relaxed pose.

At that point, Aqua finally relented and slowly walked out of the hair salon, revealing that her hair was now much shorter than it was before, stopping right at the tops of her shoulders, with her bangs mostly parted to the left, basically being what it once was when she and her two best friends had first started their original journey. Admittedly, Aqua was actually very happy to have her hair back to its original length, but she was a bit nervous about how other people would react to it. That nervousness immediately evaporated when she saw that Terra and Ven had spotted the sleeping forms of Sora and Kairi on a bench nearby, and that Kairi's head was resting on Sora's shoulder while the spiky haired boy's head was lying on top of Kairi's with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Oh, they look so cute," Aqua cooed in delight. "And they say that they're not a couple."

"We really should wake them up," Ven said slowly.

"But it would be wrong to do that when they've probably not had a decent rest since this all started for them," Terra added just as slowly with a smirk.

"And it would be a real shame to disrupt such a sweet, lovely sight," Aqua finished, indicating that all three were enjoying themselves very much at the sleeping pair's expense. Before any of them could say anything else though, their smirks immediately shifted into looks of concern when they saw that Sora and Kairi were both becoming very restless in their sleep, indicating that they were both likely having a nightmare. This prompted the three to immediately hurry over to their younger friends so that they could try to wake the two up, but Sora and Kairi had both jumped awake by the time that they had gotten over there.

"Are you two okay," Terra asked.

"Not really," Sora replied. He then looked to Kairi and realized the position the two of them were in at the same moment she did, prompting them both to jump apart and start sputtering excuses to each other.

"Guys, you can flirt later. What happened," Ven asked as he snapped his fingers at the two.

Sora elected to ignore Ventus's comment and instead told everyone about what had just happened in the future and of everything that Naminé had told them while he and Kairi were sleeping, including how the whole thing was likely a trap that Xehanort was setting up for them. Upon hearing all this, Terra was the first to speak up and say, "If it is a trap, then we can't assume anything about who the target is. Not only that, but we still have to go anyways, especially if your friend is in trouble."

"But how could we know this Stitch person," Ven asked. "I think I'd remember meeting someone like that."

"How can you not remember meeting him," Kairi asked. "He's a small guy with big ears, blue fur, talks kind of funny, and has a thing for the ukulele. Doesn't any of that ring a bell?"

The trio of Keyblade Wielders of the current time paused for a minute to think before Aqua's eyes lit up for a minute as she said, "Sounds a bit like Experiment 626 to me."

"Yeah that's him! That's Stitch's old name," Sora exclaimed excitedly.

"Are you serious," the three former students of Eraqus exclaimed all at once.

When Sora and Kairi both nodded excitedly in reply, Ventus's face immediately scrunched up in worry as he said, "Then we may have a bit of a problem. The last time I saw 626, he was blasting off to parts unknown after we escaped from this big fish guy who was trying to blast us even after we saved his ship from being blown apart by a massive Unversed."

"No problem," Kairi stated. "Master Yen Sid already found the world that Stitch ended up on, so all we need to do is get over there. It's actually so close to Deep Space that you would think that the two worlds were actually one in the same."

"Then let's get moving," Terra stated as he led the team to the edge of town where he had originally landed so that they could summon their armors and Keyblade Gliders and head off to their next destination.

As they made their way there, Kairi glanced over at Aqua and said, "By the way, love the new haircut. It's definitely much better this way now, and I'm not just saying that because now you really do look exactly how I remember you from when we first met."

"Thank you," Aqua smiled in reply as she ran a hand through her hair for a minute in a rare moment of shyness just as they reached the area where they would summon their armors and Keyblade Gliders.

* * *

The journey from Disney Town to the Keybearers' next destination was much shorter than any of them had expected, and they quickly found themselves on a world that reminded Sora and Kairi a great deal of the former's homeworld, mostly because it was obviously an island world like that of Destiny Islands. The sight of the large expanse of ocean before them on the sunny beach, the palm trees, and the sounds of the surf all served to give Sora a welcoming feeling that he could only most closely associate to his home, a feeling that Kairi also shared with her friend. The only difference between Destiny Islands and this world was that this world seemed to have a number of Tiki totems all around the beach and a lifeguard shack not too far away from where they stood.

"So what is this world," Terra asked the two Keyblade Wielders from the future after the group had found a way further inland.

"I think I read about this place once," Aqua suddenly said, cutting Sora and Kairi off before they could say anything. "It's called Luau Paradise if I remember right, and most people here are very welcoming and friendly to one and other, almost like how people are among family members."

"Yeah, that's right," Kairi replied happily, glad that she and Sora did not have to explain the details of the world they were currently on. "Now, we should hurry and find Stitch before anything hap-AAH!"

Everyone immediately jumped into a battle stance when they heard Kairi scream, but they relaxed just as quickly when they saw that Kairi was merely startled by a familiar, blue furred creature, which looked around the group with a sad expression before smiling when he saw three of the members who made up their group. "Ven…Terra…Ah-koo, wah," the small creature asked.

"Yeah, that's right 626. Glad you remember us," Aqua said happily as she knelt down to the blue alien experiment.

"Naga. Stitch," the little guy corrected.

"What," Terra asked.

"My…name…Stitch," the alien experiment explained. Terra, Ven, and Aqua nodded in understanding as Stitch turned to throw a curious glance at Sora and Kairi before asking, "F…Fr…Frens?"

"Yeah, that's right. We're friends too," Sora stated happily as he and Kairi walked up. "My name's Sora, and this is Kairi."

"Sor-rah…Kai-ree," Stitch then repeated slowly, eliciting a giggle from both of the girls in the group.

"What're you doing out here all alone, Stitch," Kairi then asked.

Stitch's face immediately turned down from his smile into a very sad expression before he softly said something in his usual, strange form of speech that none of them could understand without some form of help. Before any of them could think though, someone suddenly said, "Does not matter what Experiment 626 is doing out here. He will be going back where he belongs soon enough."

The six immediately spun around to see a large alien with four eyes and purple and tan colored skin approaching them with a ray gun like the ones that Sora and Kairi had often seen Stitch use, and the sight of this new arrival immediately brought looks of recognition to Terra and Aqua's faces as the former scowled and summoned his Keyblade. "What're you doing here, Jumba," Terra demanded.

"Ah, Boy Terra! Long time, no see," Jumba stated happily. "Love to stay and catch up, but Jumba has important matter to deal with at moment."

Jumba was about to move towards Stitch again, when the small blue alien leaped in front of his friends and said something similar to what he had previously said to the five Keybearers. Unlike the other five, Jumba was able to understand Stitch perfectly, but was still confused by the question enough for him to stop and ask a question of his own in reply. "Where's who?"

Stitch immediately pulled out a storybook that some of the group recognized as the _Ugly Duckling_ before opening it to a certain page as he clarified, "Family."

"Oh, now I get it," Ven softly stated. "He's out here looking for his family and is sad because he doesn't know where they are."

"Oh," Jumba then said softly in understanding with the other four, before the scientist looked to his creation as he attempted to explain something to Stitch. "You…don't have one. You see, I created you in lab, and you are meant to be genius creation of destruction and terror. One I might add that has been deemed dangerous by others, who have asked me to bring you back so you can be melted down."

Stitch immediately backed up fearfully, until he found himself hiding behind an angry Sora's leg. "How can you say that," Sora demanded of the alien scientist. "Maybe you don't realize it, but Stitch does have a family."

"What Spikier Hair Boy talking about," Jumba asked.

"You said it yourself that you created him, so that means you're his family," Sora explained.

Jumba just fell back laughing at the notion that the Kingdom Key wielder had set forward as he said, "Ridiculous! If that even little true, then he has a vast number of siblings that were all sealed up into little balls long before I ever created him."

"Is it really that ridiculous," Terra asked as he lowered Ends of the Earth. "From what I saw after I defeated the experiment you used to attack me, you seem to care a great deal about all of your experiments, much like a father would."

"Pheh," Jumba scoffed. "I do not have time to debate such matters with you all. I must get 626 back soon, or Grand Council Woman will have my head. Now if you don't…Hey, hey! No! Come back here!"

The five Keybearers immediately turned around to see that Stitch had raced away the first chance he had, slipping just out of all of their grasps. Jumba then prepared to give chase when Terra jumped in front of him with his Keyblade ready. "I'm not going to let you go after him if you're going to try and hurt him," Terra half-shouted firmly. "So if you want him, you're going to have to get through me first!"

"You mean, us," Aqua corrected as she summoned Stormfall and took up a position alongside Terra. The two looked at each other and exchanged a nod between them before Aqua glanced at the younger members of their group and said, "Ven, you go after Stitch with Sora and Kairi. Make sure he's safe, and we'll meet up with you as soon as we can."

"Okay," Ventus nodded as he led the three away from the area.

"Watch yourself, Aqua," Terra warned. "I have no idea how the not-so-good doctor here fights, but I do know that if he pulls out a small ball and tries to drop it into some water, it'll call out one of his other experiments, and the one I faced the last time we met was no pushover."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go down that easily, and besides, last time you were alone in that fight. This time, you've got backup right beside you," Aqua reminded her friend. Terra smiled in thanks for that, and the two immediately moved to engage Jumba in battle so that they could keep their friend safe.

* * *

"Where the heck is he going," Sora asked as the three continued racing after Stitch.

"No idea, but don't you guys think it's strange how we haven't encountered Xehanort, Ansem, or Xemnas yet," Ventus asked.

"A little, why," Kairi asked as they made a sharp turn onto a small, dirt road.

"Well considering what you said was happening in the future, I just kind of assumed we would have run into one of them by now," Ven explained.

"Try not to think about it too much," Sora told Ventus. "Time travel stuff in fiction can give you a headache as it is. Besides, maybe they're just lying in wait to make their move, and the fact that we seemed to have found Stitch first could be why Stitch was jumping back and forth between his good and bad selves in the future."

"Makes about as much sense as anything else we've dealt with since we met you guys," Ven shrugged in acceptance before he turned his gaze towards Stitch again and saw they were headed to a small, blue house that was raised up above the ground by a set of poles. Ventus was about to warn Stitch against going into someone else's house, but Stitch had already raced up the steps and into the house before any of them could say anything.

The three Keybearers just shrugged to one and other before they followed Stitch inside and found him with a little girl with long, black hair in a red dress with white leaf patterns. When the girl saw them, she immediately ducked behind Stitch in worry, thinking that the three were there to harm her, but quickly calmed down when Stitch said, "Naga afraid. Ven, Sor-rah, Kai-ree, friens."

Kairi smiled after hearing this and slowly stepped forward before kneeling down and saying, "It's okay. We're friends of Stitch's. You don't need to be scared. My name's Kairi, and that's Sora and Ventus."

The girl smiled a bit before stepping forward and saying, "Nice to meet you. I'm Lilo, but how do you know my dog?"

"You're dog," Ventus asked in confusion.

"I think she's talking about Stitch," Sora whispered to the blonde before he turned his attention back to Lilo. "It's a really long story."

Before anyone could say anything, they heard a loud bang, and Jumba burst into the room. "Surprise," Jumba called out. "Oh, and hiding behind your little friend won't work anymore. Didn't I tell you? We got fired today."

Sora, Ven, and Kairi immediately jumped into battle stances and summoned their Keyblades, getting a look of awe from Lilo when she did, as Sora said, "I thought Aqua and Terra were going to keep him busy."

"We tried to," Aqua called out as she and Terra raced through the door behind Jumba. "But he sicked one of his other experiments on us and used the distraction to get away."

Stitch immediately jumped over Sora's head and right onto Jumba, causing the large alien to start shooting his blaster in random directions in an attempt to get the small, blue experiment off of him. Kairi immediately spun around and grabbed Lilo so that she could get the little girl to safety while the other four immediately charged forward to attack as well. When Stitch saw his friends moving in, he immediately jumped up onto the ceiling just in time for Terra to let loose a powerful slash on Jumba that knocked the scientist off his feet. Aqua then followed up with a barrage of magic spheres from her Keyblade, while Sora and Ventus struck from around him with a series of quick and powerful slashes.

"Oh, do you all always have to get in the way," Jumba moaned in irritation before he grabbed some fallen plates to toss up at the ceiling in Stitch's direction, and at the four Keyblade Wielders, forcing them to raise their Keyblades into defensive positions. "Come now, getting melted down not so bad. I'll rebuild you eventually, better than before. I'll make you taller, and not as fluffy."

"But I like fluffy," Stitch protested as he dodged another plate which went through the ceiling along with the others. When Jumba finally ran out of plates, Stitch paused in the center of the ceiling before saying something in his strange language that clearly got Jumba a little riled up.

"Leave my mother out of this," the scientist shouted.

"You know, I have to admit, it's actually kind of funny hearing Stitch throw out insults like that," Aqua admitted with a small giggle.

"Hey, quick question: how is that ceiling not falling down when there's so many holes in it," Terra asked. The minute after he had, the ceiling did just that, and right on top of Stitch.

"You just had to ask," Ventus remarked to his older friend before Stitch suddenly popped out of the rubble with Jumba's gun in hand. When Stitch was about to fire the weapon though, Jumba quickly plugged it up with a carrot he had found nearby.

"You shouldn't play with guns," Jumba told Stitch.

"Oh, okay," Stitch immediately stated as he handed the weapon to Jumba.

"Thank you," Jumba replied until he realized that Stitch had handed it to him because it was about to explode from the fact Jumba had plugged it up when it was about to fire. "Oh, I just remembered! It's your birthday. Happy birthday," Jumba then quickly said as he tossed the gun back to Stitch and prepared to run until Stitch pulled on the back of his vest.

"Merry Christmas," Stitch said as he threw the gun back.

"It's not Christmas," Jumba protested as he did the same.

"Happy Hanukah!"

Sora, Terra, Aqua, and Ven could only stand where they were and stare at the two as the sudden game of Hot Potato continued, not moving until Ven finally said, "You know, if that gun's going to explode, then we should probably get out of here, right?"

The other three looked between themselves after hearing the blonde's comment before they immediately made a break for the exit, stopping only for a minute to make sure that Kairi and Lilo were both outside as they did, and they just barely made it behind some cover before the explosion finally came, and took the entire house with it as it did. As soon as the smoke cleared up enough, the group then raced forward to try and find Stitch among the wreckage, just as a black car was pulling up to the house. When the vehicle finally stopped, the driver stepped out to reveal himself as a tall, bald, dark skinned man in a black business suit and similarly colored sunglasses. The man looked around in pure shock before he finally spotted Lilo and ran over to her.

"Lilo, what happened here," the man asked.

"Aliens attacked my house saying they were after my dog and his friends," Lilo immediately cried out. "And Stitch was inside when the house blew up! We've gotta find him."

"Lilo, please get in the car while I look for your dog," the man said, only to stop when Ventus suddenly shouted out that he had found him. Lilo and the man immediately raced over, only to pause in surprise when they saw Stitch had an extra set of arms, a pair of antenna, and a set of spines on his back when they reached the group.

"You're…one of them," Lilo gasped in surprise.

When Stitch saw that Lilo was standing there, able to see his true self, he immediately hung his head down sadly and looked away just as the little girl's face turned to anger at the poor little alien. Seeing the distressed look on his friends face, Ven immediately jumped in and said, "Hey don't be mad at him. He obviously just wanted to keep you safe, but that guy from earlier just wouldn't leave him alone, so he had to hide who he was, both for that reason and so that you could learn to like him."

"Son, please step away," the taller man said as he moved to try and pull Ventus back, only for Aqua and Terra to jump into his path with their Keyblades out, ready to fight if they needed to.

"You so much as touch one hair on either one of my friends, and I'll make sure you regret it," Terra warned the man.

"That goes double for me," Aqua added, and the two were soon joined in that regard by Sora and Kairi as they also summoned their own Keyblades to their hands.

The man just looked at the five before he rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "And here I was hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with something too crazy, let alone five Keyblade Wielders."

"How do you know about the Keyblade," Kairi demanded.

"More to the point, just how many people do know about the thing," Sora asked in exasperation.

"My name's Cobra Bubbles," the man finally introduced himself. "I'm a former member of the CIA, and back in the day, I had a small encounter with a group of Keyblade Wielders by the names of Yen Sid, Eraqus, and Xehanort. They explained everything about that sort of the thing to me so long as I made sure to keep it secret."

"You knew Master Eraqus," Terra asked in surprise.

"You have bigger problems at the moment, you little brats," a new voice suddenly interrupted, and everyone quickly spun around to see a large, fish-like alien in a sleeveless black suit with red trimming suddenly fire a blaster in their direction. Everyone was quick to jump aside, but unfortunately, Lilo, Stitch, and Aqua were caught in the net that the alien had fired. "Well, it must be my lucky day. Experiment 626 and the little girl who nearly ruined my career in one fell swoop. I'll enjoy bringing all of you back for judgment on a platter," the alien said.

"Gantu," Ventus identified angrily from where he had hidden himself. Before the blonde could do anything to the alien attacker, Terra pulled him back down into their hiding place as the alien captain stomped away with his catch in hand. They could only watch in horror as their friends' kidnapper disappeared from sight, until they saw Stitch had somehow managed to slip out and was starting to head back to them, only to stop and push a tall woman who looked a bit like Lilo aside just as what they assumed to be Gantu's ship suddenly shot over their heads.

Everyone could only stare at where Gantu's ship had disappeared to in despair, before the sound of something hitting the ground directed all attention to the woman who looked like an older version of Lilo just in time to see her grab a branch after she had thrown Stitch off of her. "What is going on here? Where's Lilo," the woman demanded of the little blue experiment.

Stitch shook his head a little to clear the cobwebs out, only to find himself tackled again by Jumba as the large alien snapped a set of cuffs onto both of Stitch's arms. "Haha! Got you now," Jumba stated proudly until he too was blasted away and forced to drop Stitch.

When Jumba started to stand up again, he immediately froze when he saw the tip of Terra's Keyblade in his face, and a very angry Terra shooting him an enraged glare. "Tell me where that guy took Aqua and the girl, NOW," Terra demanded as a dark aura began to manifest around him, causing the air to suddenly become much heavier.

"Terra, stop," Ven shouted. "If you let your anger control you like this the darkness will lash out at all of us!"

"I don't care," Terra immediately retorted. "I'm getting answers out of this guy no matter what it takes! If he hadn't have tried what he did, Aqua wouldn't be a prisoner right now!"

"Terra, calm down," Kairi said as she placed a hand on the larger man's arm. "Remember what you and your friends promised, and think about what Aqua would want you to do in this situation."

Terra spared a glance in Kairi's direction before he finally calmed down, allowing his dark aura to fade away while Sora stepped up to Jumba. "I can't really say how long I can control my friend here, so if you have anything useful that we can use to help us save those two, then you'd better speak up quickly," Sora warned Jumba, effectively dealing out the classic Good Cop-Bad Cop routine.

Jumba looked like he was trying to keep something from them before he finally sighed sadly and said, "I don't know. Gantu's ship was not headed for space. Could be anywhere by now, but you see, I'm only here for Experiment 626. Sorry."

Everyone's heads were immediately hung in sadness, and it escaped no one's notice that the woman was clearly related to Lilo had fallen to her knees as she cried, prompting both Bubbles and Kairi to walk over and try to comfort her. "Don't worry," Kairi said. "We'll do whatever we can to help Lilo. I promise."

"What can you do," the woman asked. "He said it himself, that thing could be anywhere with my little sister by now."

"Nani, please," Bubbles told the woman. "These people are trained professionals when it comes to saving lives. If they say they can do something, then they most likely can do it."

Nani did not seem convinced, especially given that Terra and Ventus still had somber looks on their faces as well. Sora honestly wanted to say something in order to cheer everyone up, but he found that he could not as he was almost just as worried about Aqua and Lilo as everyone else was. He knew that Terra and Ven were especially worried about Aqua, since she was their closest friend and they had just promised to do whatever they could to become the friends they once were again, and after finding out that Lilo was Nani's sister, he could honestly understand a little of how she was feeling as well, as it was a feeling that he and Kairi had experienced when they lost Riku to darkness.

Everyone had fallen into a somber silence as Nani continued to cry, a silence during which Stitch looked around at all the people around him before he finally walked over to Nani. "Ohana," Stitch said.

"What," Nani asked, getting everyone else's attention as well. "What did you say?"

Stitch cleared his throat a little before stating, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."

Hearing Stitch say that brought a small smile to Nani's face along with everyone else's as Terra walked up and said, "Family also means one other thing. That you always stick together and never give up on each other no matter what happens. I know that to be a fact because my family never gave up on me even when I was on a dark path that didn't promise any redemption. So what do you say we go get our family back together?"

Stitch smiled brightly at Terra in response and likely would have clapped in agreement if his hands were not tied at the moment. When he remembered that, he immediately turned to Jumba and said something in his usual strange tongue to the large alien. "WHAT?! After all you put me through, you expect me to help you just like that? JUST LIKE THAT," Jumba demanded, sounding completely outraged as he grabbed Stitch.

"Ih," Stitch simply said.

"Fine," Jumba conceded.

"You sure changed your tune easily," Ven commented.

"He is…very persuasive," Jumba immediately defended. "So Jumba help you with rescue mission."

"You will? How," Sora asked.

"Just follow me, and quickly," Jumba stated as he immediately ran off down the street. Seeing as they had no other alternative, the group simply shrugged to one and other and chased after Jumba, hoping that the acclaimed evil genius was not trying to lead them on.

* * *

As she looked out at the passing clouds while trying to comfort the clearly worried and frightened Lilo, Aqua had to admit that she was very worried about what Gantu intended to do with them, especially after he found out that Stitch was no longer in the containment unit with them. It was no secret to the blunette that she was not one of Gantu's favorite people after their last encounter, but given all that had recently happened and what could likely have happened since they had last met, Aqua honestly had no idea what to expect. Given that little thought, it came as no surprise that Aqua had immediately told Stitch to go and get Terra and the others for help when the alien experiment was able to slip out, but Aqua did find it a little surprising that she mentioned Terra's name first instead of Ven's, or even Sora or Kairi's. She knew that they had agreed to try and be the friends they once were again, but she did not expect her to do something like that so soon afterwards.

Aqua could not think about such things right now though, as she needed to keep her focus on keeping Lilo calm until the others were able to catch up to them, hopefully before they left for Deep Space or worse. As she continued to do so, she noticed that Lilo was hugging a picture close to her in an attempt for the girl to calm herself down. When Aqua caught a glimpse of the image, she saw that it was one of Lilo and three other people who seemed to be related to the little girl together at the beach. Seeing the image, Aqua had to let out a small smile before she asked, "Who're they? The people in that picture your holding?"

"It's me and my family," Lilo explained sadly. "My parents died a few years ago though, and Nani's been trying to raise me ever since, but there's no hiding that we're a broken family now. Nani's always had a hard time dealing with me though, but she's always cared about me a great deal. Then one day, she took me to the pet shelter so that we could adopt one of the dogs, and that's when I met Stitch. I instantly liked him, especially when he came up and hugged me after saying hi. It wasn't easy having him around though, because he was always making a mess of things and acting like a very bad dog, so after Mister Bubbles met him, he told me that he wanted Stitch to become a model citizen. I thought I was doing okay for a while, but after Stitch nearly drowned and then suddenly lashed out in confusion, everything went downhill. I really thought I knew Stitch though, even though he was obviously sad, since I could hear him crying at night. Now I'm not sure."

Aqua gave the little girl a small, sad smile of her own, honestly feeling that she could understand where Lilo was coming from, and decided to let her know that. "You know, I lost someone who was like a father to me too," Aqua admitted as she thought back on all the good times she shared with Eraqus, Ven, and Terra. "And my two best friends and I were all like family to each other until some things happened that caused us to drift apart. I guess you could say that my family is broken as well. When I met Stitch though, I found out that he wanted to learn about friendship and was really trying to after he met my friend Terra. I get the feeling that your probably the first person he considers as something more than just a friend, and that's why he was so eager to protect you from Jumba and why he ran to you when he was in trouble, even though my friends and I were right there with him."

"You really think so," Lilo asked.

"Absolutely," Aqua nodded. "If you ask me, for you and your sister, Stitch is kind of like what Sora and Kairi have become for me and my friends. Someone who you can count on to keep everyone together even if he doesn't seem like it. I don't even want to think about what would have happened to me and my friends if those two never came into our lives."

Lilo gave Aqua a small smile in thanks for what she said, but her smile quickly disappeared when she saw that Aqua had noticed something was wrong. Instead of going further into the sky like Aqua thought they would have been, they were instead beginning to descend to the ground. When the ship finally landed, Aqua wished that the containment unit was not mounted on the back of Gantu's ship because they could not tell what was going on from where they were aside from hearing the alien captain coming out of his ship. When Aqua finally did get an idea of what was going on, she honestly wished that she had not found out at all, as the theory she came up with came immediately after she heard a familiar voice that caused her to feel a sudden cold feeling run through her entire being.

"I trust you had no trouble," the voice of Xehanort asked the minute Gantu's footsteps had ceased.

"I did accidentally capture one of the indigenous life forms along with one of the ones you told me about, namely the girl who ruined my career when we last met, but the problem has been dealt with," Gantu reported. "I know that it's probably not my place to ask, but were you really sent by the Grand Council Woman to collect Experiment 626 and transport him into exile?"

"Yes of course," Xehanort replied reassuringly, though Aqua was able to easily pick up on the sinister tone that said otherwise underneath the reassurance. "But even if I was not, you can assure the Grand Council Woman that Experiment 626 will never trouble you or anyone ever again."

At that point, it all made sense to Aqua. The reason why Stitch was switching between his good self and his old, monstrous self was because she and the others had arrived before Xehanort had gotten his hands on the little alien, and Xehanort no doubt wanted to make Stitch into one of his soldiers because of the fact that the poor little guy had been created to be a force of great destruction and terror. Not that it mattered at that point, because as soon as they came to see if Stitch was in the pod to only find her and Lilo, it would likely be the end for all of them. Knowing this, Aqua immediately shifted herself forward to be in front of Lilo as she whispered, "Come on Stitch, hurry. Ven…Terra…Sora…Kairi…please get here soon!"

Sadly, Aqua's prayers were not answered before their two captors came around to see the contents of Gantu's capture. "What?! I don't understand. I was sure that containment unit would've held Experiment 626 with no trouble," Gantu protested. He then looked at Aqua accusingly and demanded, "You. You did something. Tell me what you did and where Experiment 626 is now!"

"Calm down, Captain Gantu," Xehanort stated. "It does not matter. If Experiment 626 cares for the little girl and for the woman you captured as much as you claim he does, then there's no doubt in my mind that he will come to us. Wouldn't you agree, my dear Aqua?"

When the old, traitorous Keyblade Master addressed her, Aqua's face quickly turned into a scowl as she leveled a dangerous glare at him as she snarled, "Xehanort…you freak! Haven't you already caused enough damage? Even after what you did to Ven…and Terra…and even Master Eraqus…it's still not enough for your sick ambitions?"

"Oh Aqua, it truly saddens me how little you understand," Xehanort said in very clear mock pity. "True, at one point in time you may have proved to be the greatest opposition to my plans, but after all this time, as you are now, you're barely any more of a threat than a small fly."

Aqua snarled at the man she once believed to be a respectable Keyblade Master before Gantu stepped forward and leveled his blaster towards her and Lilo, telling the two to not get any ideas of attempting to escape or anything else of the sort, which only led Aqua to wonder if it were even possible for her and Lilo to escape at the moment given their current circumstances. Everyone's thoughts on any matter were immediately halted when they heard someone shout out, "Lalapatooki!"

"What?! How many times do I have to say it? I'm just big-boned," Gantu shouted before he suddenly paused after realizing that none of the people he currently saw had spoken. "Wait a minute, who said that?"

"Why don't you try looking up, Fatso," another voice shouted, and Gantu did just that only to be slammed in the face by one of the wings on Ven's Keyblade Glider, which the blonde was currently atop without his armor, and Stitch hanging on his back, laughing at Gantu as they flew over them. Gantu was surprisingly quick to get to his feet again and start firing on them, only to miss every time, as Ven easily swerved away from every shot. "What's the matter, Tubby? Can't hit a target that's smaller than you," Ven mocked, getting another cackle from Stitch in response.

Gantu merely roared in anger at the blonde's taunting before he started shooting at Ven and Stitch even more, but this time with less precision than before. Xehanort was about to attack as well, but he was immediately cut off when a sudden pink energy arrow nearly shot his hand off. When he looked to the source, he immediately spotted Kairi racing through the sky with her Keyblade Glider's energy bow armed and firing on the disgraced Keyblade Master with everything she had and a precision that he had only seen from Aqua when she used the energy bow on her own Keyblade Glider. He then refocused his efforts to firing blasts of dark magic at the airborne Princess of Heart, as said girl quickly maneuvered around Xehanort's attacks and returned fire both with her energy bow and a few light spells as well.

As the two villains continued to attack the airborne heroes, they never noticed Sora and Terra sneaking around behind them towards the capsule that was holding the girls. The girls did notice, and they were both quick to start beaming with joy at the sight of the two as the boys made the final sprint towards them. Just as they were a few feet away from Aqua and Lilo though, Terra and Sora found themselves having to skid to a quick halt when a sphere of dark magic hit the ground directly in front of them, prompting them to immediately summon their Keyblades in response and then turn to see Xehanort had somehow managed to knock Kairi out of the air, much to Sora's horror, and noticed their approach soon after. "So that was your game," Xehanort chortled. "A distraction for you two to try and free your captive friends. I am curious as to how exactly you found us though."

"It wasn't too hard," Terra growled. "Jumba was able to track the energy trail from the engines of Gantu's ship from the one he came here in. From there, it was just a simple flight over on the Keyblade Gliders."

"I see," Xehanort chuckled. "Ah but Terra, I see you are under the impression that your current abilities with your powers of darkness is enough. It is sad to see that you do not realize that you would be unstoppable if you were to just give in to the darkness, and let it all into your heart."

"Save your breath," Sora shouted. "Terra isn't going to fall for your lies anymore!"

"That's right," Terra agreed. "I may be using powers of darkness, but what I do now, I do for friendship, because my friends are one of the most important things that matter to me."

Xehanort scowled a little at Sora and Terra's retorts while Aqua's eyes softened at hearing what Terra said, but the girl's look of happiness instantly morphed to one of horror when Xehanort blasted both of the two boys off their feet and away from her and Lilo. "Terra! Sora," Aqua shouted.

"Stitch," Lilo then cried out, not knowing that Stitch had heard her and immediately convinced Ventus to fly directly at Gantu and the others.

When Gantu saw the two flying at him, he immediately smirked at the fact that they were giving him such a perfect shot the closer they got, and even though Ven was able to easily evade his blasts from moving side to side, Gantu knew it was only a matter of time until they were close enough for him to not miss no matter what. "Say farewell, abomination," Gantu smirked.

"Stupid-Head," Stitch huffed softly before he tapped Ventus's leg. As soon as Ven felt Stitch's tap, he immediately braked as hard as he could while turning his Keyblade Glider around, and in the process, Stitch was flung forward, directly at Gantu at high speeds while shouting, "YEE-HAAAA!"

The next thing anyone knew, they were all scrambling away as Gantu was met with a face full of Stitch. The large alien had immediately begun trying to throw Stitch off of him as best he could, not even watching his step as he did, and nearly crushing everyone around him as a result. In the confusion, Sora was able to get over to Kairi and pull her out of the way before Gantu's foot flattened her like a pancake, while Ven just flew down to help Terra to his feet and give his older friend an elixir so that Terra could recover the strength he lost after being forced to fight Xehanort with Sora. "You're vile, you're foul, and you're a flood," Gantu shouted as he finally managed to pry Stitch off of him and then tried to flatten him with his fist.

Sadly for Gantu, Stitch was able to lift Gantu's fist off of him with little effort and then said, "Also cute and FLUFFY!"

The next thing Gantu knew, he was being flung over the tiny alien's head and directly into his own ship, seriously damaging the vessel as a result, and landing Gantu a one-way trip to unconsciousness. Stitch then ran up to the containment unit that Lilo and Aqua were in, which had been knocked loose from Gantu's ship when he was thrown into it, just as Terra had done the same. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there in just a second," Terra said as he aimed his Keyblade towards the pod, but before Terra could do anything, Stitch just walked up, and smashed his head against the glass, shattering it in an instant. "Or you could just do that."

After Stitch had helped her out, Lilo immediately grabbed Stitch in a tight hug and kissed his nose, truly grateful for the fact that her newest best friend had come just like Aqua said, surprising Stitch in the process. Aqua was happy to see this, but her happiness at this was immediately overlapped when she saw Terra and Ven, which was why she could not stop herself from running up to the two of them and wrapping them both in a surprise hug of her own. Both of the two boys were surprised by this, but they had to smile and return the embrace all the same.

After she released the two boys from the hug, Aqua looked around for a minute before confirming that Xehanort had disappeared at some point in all the confusion, which naturally irritated her a bit, but her disappointment evaporated in an instant and became replaced by a look of mischievousness at the next thing she saw. "Looks like a certain knight in shining armor is enjoying the chance to hold his princess in his arms," Aqua commented aloud.

Aqua's comment brought everyone's attention towards Sora, and their expressions soon matched the blunette's when they saw that Sora was in fact still holding an unconscious Kairi bridal style. Sora would have said something in protest, but Kairi had started to wake up before he could. When Kairi looked up to see that Sora smiling down at her and that said boy was holding her in the way he was, she gained a brilliant smile the likes of which Sora had never seen on her face before. When she eventually realized that everyone was looking at them though, Kairi's face gained a brilliant blush as she quickly climbed out of Sora's arms while she and the boy both stuttered in embarrassment, much to everyone's amusement until Sora finally suggested they head back to Jumba's ship.

* * *

"Haha, everyone is okay! You see, is just like bald man said; they are trained professionals," Jumba chuckled to Nani when he saw the group approach. He then noticed that Stitch had grabbed hold of a small device while he was not paying attention, and was now trying to swallow it, immediately prompting him to grab his little creation and force Stitch to spit the device out as he said, "Hey! Get that out of your mouth!"

Everyone had a good laugh in response to that, but the mood soon changed when a group of guards suddenly jumped Stitch and placed him in handcuffs once again. The group then turned, and saw another alien that Aqua immediately recognized as the Grand Council Woman from before, who immediately commanded her officers to take Stitch to her ship. Lilo was about to protest against this, but Bubbles was quick to tell Lilo to wait a moment before doing anything. Sora however, was not going to follow that advice. "What do you think you're doing to him," Sora demanded before anyone could stop him.

"Please young man, this does not concern you," the Grand Council Woman warned Sora.

"The hell it doesn't," Terra interjected. "You're arresting our friend without any reason at all!"

"I beg to differ," the alien leader stated once more. "Experiment 626 is a danger to all civilized worlds, and as such he has been…"

"Stitch," said experiment interrupted.

"What," the Grand Council Woman asked.

"My name Stitch."

"Yes, Stitch then. Stitch is a…" the Grand Council Woman immediately paused in what she was saying again when she realized what just happened and turned back to the little blue experiment.

"Does Stitch have to go in the ship," Stitch asked.

"Yes."

"Can Stitch say goodbye?"

That question had thrown the Grand Council Woman for a short loop, but all the same, she was quick to reply, "Yes."

"Thank you," Stitch said as he walked over to Nani and Lilo, who were standing with Aqua, Ven, and Kairi, and were then joined by Sora and Terra.

"Who are you," the Grand Council Woman asked the two sisters.

In the end, it was actually Stitch who answered. "This is my family. I found it all on my own," Stitch explained. "It's little…and broken, but still good."

Everyone was very touched at what Stitch said, even Terra looked like he was about to start shedding a few tears of happiness after hearing Stitch say that, but when they started watching Stitch walking towards the ship again, they immediately felt sad at the fact that he had to leave the family he had found. Seeing this, Kairi immediately walked over to the Grand Council Woman and asked, "Your Excellency, does he really have to leave? Stitch has a family here, and it wouldn't be any fairer to them to lose him than it would be for Stitch to lose them."

The Grand Council Woman regarded Kairi for a minute before she finally sighed and told the redhead, "I honestly wish he could stay, but our rules are absolute. I cannot change what the council has already decided."

When she heard that, Aqua immediately perked up and quickly knelt down to Lilo as she whispered, "Didn't you say that you bought Stitch at a pet shelter?"

Lilo immediately began searching her pockets until she finally found a form that she had conveniently had on her, and she then ran over to the alien leader and called out to her, "A few days ago, I bought Stitch at the shelter, and I paid two dollars for him." She then handed the form to the Councilwoman as she continued, "See this stamp here? I own him, and if you take him, you're stealing."

The Grand Council Woman immediately looked over the form, and upon seeing that Lilo was correct, she gave a small smile, knowing that the little girl was correct. "Aliens are all about rules," Bubbles commented softly.

When the Grand Council Woman noticed Aqua, she had to comment, "You look familiar."

"My name is Aqua," the woman explained. "I helped stop Captain Gantu from trying to destroy Stitch and Doctor Jumba when some monsters found their way onto your ship and I offered my services in getting rid of the monsters so that you could apprehend them."

The Grand Council Woman nodded in remembrance of that before turning to talk with Bubbles and the sisters, releasing Stitch into their custody as she did, bringing joyful smiles to the Keybearers' faces as she did. While they were discussing the terms of Stitch's stay with Lilo and her family, Aqua noticed that Terra had reached for something in his pocket, and her eyes immediately widened when she saw what it was. "You…you actually still have it…even after everything that happened," Aqua whispered in complete astonishment at the sight of the brown Wayfinder she had made for him.

When Terra heard her question, he seemed a little surprised that she noticed him pulling it out, but his surprise quickly turned to a small smile as he replied, "Yeah. I could never get rid of it, or even bear to see it destroyed. After all, my friend gave it to me."

Aqua smiled happily at hearing this, even gaining a small blush as she did, before she pulled out her own Wayfinder for everyone to see as well. Seeing that his friends do so prompted Ventus to also pull out his green Wayfinder for them both to see as he said, "I've still got mine too."

"Looks like they really are good luck charms," Aqua said. "It's just like Kairi said to me when I first met her and Sora back home; the legend of the star-shaped charms is true. Since we never stopped carrying these charms, we were able to find a way back to each other again, even if it was a rough road."

"Frens…ohana," Stitch suddenly said as he walked up to the three and pulled out the Wayfinder that he himself had made. "Terra…Ven…Ah-koo, wah…Sor-rah…Kai-ree…frens. Frens, ohana?"

"Yeah, of course," Sora said happily. "Doesn't matter who someone is to you, because if they're really special to you, then they're always just as much your family as your real one is."

"Ih, frens ohana," Stitch cried out happily as he jumped up on Sora and immediately started licking Sora's face happily like a dog. Everyone immediately laughed, even Sora, mostly due to the fact that Stitch's licking was tickling him so much, and in that moment, they felt that nothing could go wrong. Sadly, nothing could last forever.

"How touching," a deep, cold voice suddenly interrupted, gaining everyone's attention as they spun around to see Ansem and Xemnas stepping out of the shadows. "It's a shame that we have to end such a moment," the Nobody of the two continued from what he said before.

"Oh spare us, Xemnas," Kairi retorted as she summoned Destiny's Embrace. "We all know that Nobodies like you don't have hearts to feel with."

"True, so I suppose that there's no point in wasting any more time," Ansem shrugged in conceit before his face gained a sinister smirk, frightening everyone as to what he meant by that statement. The five Keybearers were quick to tell Stitch and the others to leave the area, which they did though some more hesitantly than others, and then prepared to face the two dark sides of Xehanort that had come from the alternate future. Before any of the five could attack though, Sora and Kairi were immediately blasted away, and the remaining three found themselves completely paralyzed for some reason.

"What're you doing," Sora demanded as he tried to rise up to his feet.

"Ending all hopes you have of saving your precious future," Ansem gloated as he and Xemnas both raised their hands and began chanting as one.

"Powers of darkness and nothingness combine, tear through the forces and head our cry," the two said in unison as a strange, dark energy suddenly enveloped Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. As soon as the three were enveloped, they all immediately let out agonizing cries of pain, almost as though something were inflicting incredible harm on them all at once that they could not even begin to bear. Despite this, the two dark beings continued their chanting, "Now heed our desires and do as we bid, and cast these fools into a world they dread."

A minute later, the dark energy surrounding the three seemed to solidify, muffling their screams of pain just as Sora and Kairi were finally able to rise to their feet and begin to run to the threes aid. Sadly, it was too late, as the minute Sora and Kairi were close enough, the energy exploded in a blinding flash, forcing the two to shield their eyes, and when they opened them again, they found that Xemnas and Ansem were both gone, and so were Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.

"Ven…Terra…Aqua…come back you guys," Sora shouted in a sudden repeat of words that Donald had once shouted out when Sora had allowed himself to be consumed by darkness in order to free Kairi's heart, falling to his knees in despair as he did.

"Are they…are they really," Kairi started to ask, fearing the answer even though she was unable to finish the question. "No," Kairi suddenly said as she gained a determined look. "No they're not gone…they can't be…there's no way they're gone!"

Sora looked to the girl he loved so much in surprise before he gained a look of determination that matched hers and stood up once again as he said, "You're right. There's no way it's over. Not now, and not like this. They're out there somewhere, and we'll find them no matter what it takes."

"Sor-rah…Kai-ree," the two then heard Stitch's voice ask, prompting them to turn and see that the small alien had come back up to them at some point. "Frens gone?"

"No they just left for a little while," Kairi immediately replied. "They went off somewhere and forgot to tell us where, but we'll all come back and visit some day. Okay?"

"Ih," Stitch replied happily, and he then turned around to rejoin Lilo and her sister as they all headed home.

Kairi then looked over to Sora as she asked, "If they really aren't gone, then how do we even find out what happened to them? I don't remember Master Yen Sid saying anything about this happening, and if they do know the answer, then Naminé would've contacted us by now."

Sora nodded in agreement, as it was clear at this point that none of the knowledge about what had happened in the past before they began to change it could be completely relied on now, but still, that did not mean that Kairi was unable to give them an idea of what they could do. "We need to go see Master Yen Sid," Sora stated. "Not the one in the future, but the one in this time."

"What," Kairi exclaimed. "Sora, we can't do that! If we go see the Master Yen Sid of this time, then we'll seriously mess up the past, and who knows what will happen then?"

"Even if we never went to see him, I doubt we would be able to hide our being here from someone like Master Yen Sid for long, if at all," Sora reasoned. "Plus it may be our best shot at finding out what happened to Terra, Ven, and Aqua, in case our friends from our time can't find anything."

Kairi paused to think on what Sora said for a minute before she finally sighed in defeat and nodded in agreement. The two then summoned their armors and Keyblade Gliders, and immediately took off for the Mysterious Tower, hoping that the Master Yen Sid of this time period could help them, and that their friends were alright.

* * *

 ** _Riku: And there, you're back to normal. Better now, please don't kill me!_**

 ** _AN: [checks to make sure everything is back in order] Yes, much better now. One more thing, push that button please._**

 ** _Riku: Why? You're going to kill me with it? PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!_**

 ** _AN: No, you're safe for now. It is for those other losers, aka Xehanort and his little buddies._**

 ** _Riku: Oh, okay. [pushes the button, and Xehanort, Xemnas, and all other major male villains that have appeared in this story suddenly find themselves dressed as a random Disney Princess, much to their horror]_**

 ** _Villains: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THE HORROR!_**

 ** _AN: Ah, okay, all better now. Now, onto more important business, before any of you freak out on me, no, Aqua, Terra, and Ven are not, I repeat, NOT dead! Their fate will be revealed in the next chapter, and you may or may not be surprised as to what happened to them._**

 ** _One more thing, yes I included the world of Lilo & Stitch in this story, mostly because I like Stitch, he's funny, and I really wanted to incorporate that world into this story. I mean, we've already seen Stitch's world from before he met Lilo, so why not include the world that came after that meeting. The name of the world was really something I came up with at random, but I thought that it fit, and I did not want to waste time trying to think of better names._**

 ** _One more thing, I just had to include that little flashback sequence of Ventus and Terra forcing Aqua to get a haircut from earlier, and yes, Aqua now looks exactly like she did in Birth By Sleep. I just thought it would be funny to have a moment like that._**

 ** _One more thing, to all you Sokai fans, I hope you enjoyed the amount of said pairing in this chapter, because I honestly wanted to work as much as I could of that into the chapter, and into few chapters as well if I can, because again, one of my favorite pairings from Kingdom Hearts._**

 ** _One more thing, time to move onto the preview!..._**

 ** _The fate of Aqua, Terra, and Ventus is revealed, and a daring mission must be put in place in order for the three to return to where they need to be. In order to do so though, many dangerous risks must be taken, a new force must be called upon to aid the three misplaced heroes, and Mickey will have to finally reveal the location of his past self so that the plan may be successful. Just what happened, where are the students of Eraqus, and how will they get back to where they need to be? The answers to these questions and more, next time._**

 ** _One more thing, I know that doesn't say much, but if I said anymore, I'd be giving away too much information about the next chapter._**

 ** _Xion: Somebody tell the guy to wrap it up, before he comes up with three more things! [AN hits a button and Xion finds herself catapulted into a massive mud pie] EEEWWWW! THAT'S NOT ANY FUNNIER THAN THE TRAP DOOR THING!_**

 ** _AN: Again, it is to me. One more thing..._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	13. Mix-Up in Time

_**AN: Hey guys, this is it! The big reveal of just what happened to Aqua, Terra, and Ven at the end of the last chapter, and then some. This chapter will have drama, humor, and a whole lot of cameos and reveals to questions you've been wondering since the beginning of this story. With that said, I'm not going to waste anymore of your time with this boring author's note that your probably only reading to see if there's some kind of gag thing involved with one of the characters.**_

 _ **Xion: And yet you're still talking.**_

 _ **Xaldin: Let the fool prattle on, Number XIV. It's not like it matters. They'll all eventually find out how Sora and Kairi will soon encounter...**_

 _ **AN: DAH! SPOILER! Go Go Gadget, oil slick! [raises arm when a tube shoots out of the sleeve of the trench coat he's wearing]**_

 _ **Xaldin: Go go what? DAH! [gets sprayed by blue toothpaste] THAT'S NOT OIL, THAT'S TOOTHPASTE!**_

 _ **AN: I know, and I'm just getting started punk. Go Go Gadget Bubblegum! [large machine pops out of the top hat he's wearing and starts pumping said gum]**_

 _ **Xaldin: Seriously, go go wha-DAH! [gets sprayed with bubblegum] Are you quite finished with this childish display?**_

 _ **AN: You wish. Consider this also as payback for how much I struggled in your boss fight in Kingdom Hearts II. Go Go...**_

 _ **Xaldin: Noooo.**_

 _ **AN: Gadget...**_

 _ **Xaldin: No, no, no.**_

 _ **AN: Hammer! [grins evilly as hammer pops out of hat and lines up to slam Xaldin]**_

 _ **Xaldin: Nonononononononononono-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! [Gets hit by hammer hard, and is sent flying back and forth and even into the hammer again because of the bubblegum]**_

 ** _AN: [looks to Xion as hammer continues hitting Xaldin] You wanna try your luck?_**

 ** _Xion: [raises hands in surrender and speaks quickly] No thanks, I'm good!_**

 ** _AN: Well would you like to do the disclaimer for me? I wanna enjoy this while it lasts._**

 ** _Xion: Sure thing._**

 ** _lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story._**

* * *

 **Chapter XIII**

Sora and Kairi raced so fast through the Lanes Between that even if you were in the Lanes Between standing still you would think that they were shooting stars, but considering why they were moving so fast, one would not be able to blame them in the slightest. While they had solved the problems on Luau Paradise, it was barely that far into the small celebration when Ansem and Xemnas suddenly appeared and cast a strange spell on Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, leading the three to completely disappear, and now, neither of the two Keybearers of the future knew where the three were, nor were they even able to contact them. That is not to say that they feared the worst for the late Master Eraqus's former students, but they still had to hurry if they wanted to discover just what had happened, and there was only one person that could help them to do that. That was why they were able to give a small sigh of relief when they saw the familiar, twisted shape of the Mysterious Tower, home of Master Yen Sid, both in the past and the future.

The minute that they had landed outside the tower, the two Keybearers immediately dismissed both their Keyblade Gliders and armor and made a mad sprint up to the entrance of the tower itself, spotting a depressed looking Donald Duck and Goofy sitting on the steps as they did. "Hi Donald. Hi Goofy," Sora called happily as he past the two, getting confused looks from Mickey's best friends, and whap on the head from Kairi.

"Does your mind completely shut down every time you see someone we know or something," Kairi asked Sora, rhetorically while the boy rubbed his head from her hit. "We're not supposed to know those two yet, remember?"

"Okay, in my defense, it was Donald and Goofy. I spent nearly the entirety of all my adventures with those guys, and they're my best friends after you and Riku. You can't expect me to not forget about our current situation if we run into them," Sora pointed out.

"Well you can at least try," Kairi retorted, though she did have a small smile underneath her otherwise scolding expression. Sora's expression turned sheepish in admittance that the girl he loved was right, but as soon as they reached the door to Yen Sid's study, they quickly became serious just as they dashed into the room. "Master Yen Sid, we need your help in an urgent matter," Kairi declared as she and Sora skidded to a stop at the wizened sorcerer's desk.

While the sight of Yen Sid looking exactly as he did in the future did admittedly set the two off for a minute, they were completely caught off guard when the sorcerer stated, "I am well aware of your situation young wielders of the Keyblade. Though I must admit, I never expected Keyblade Wielders to be as young as yourselves, especially given that you should be much younger in this time."

"I'm guessing that means you already know we're from the future then," Sora asked slowly.

"I had my suspicions, especially when I noticed that there were two of some of the same stars in the sky," Yen Sid admitted with a smile. His expression then turned somber as he then revealed, "However, in the case of helping you to locate Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, I am afraid I cannot help you, for I am just as in the dark on their whereabouts as you are, and as I am in the whereabouts of my own apprentice, Mickey."

"You mean, even you don't know where Mickey is," Kairi asked in disbelief.

Yen Sid shook his head in sadness while somehow keeping his usual stoic demeanor. The news of Yen Sid not knowing where Mickey's past self was, coupled with the news that he did not know what had happened to their three new friends immediately brought Sora and Kairi's spirits down, until Sora finally looked up at the elder sorcerer and asked, "Master Yen Sid, could you tell us what happened to Mickey? The reason he disappeared I mean. The Mickey of our time never really said."

Yen Sid hummed to himself as he stroked his beard in thought for a moment before he finally looked up at the two and began the short tale of why Mickey disappeared, or at least what he knew of it. "Mickey had formed a very strong bond with the students of my dear, late friend, Eraqus, right to the point that he would give his life in order to help them. However, in the last battle that the four had together, Mickey found himself having to bear witness to the events that led the three to lose the precious bond that they shared. Mickey tried to do what he could to save that bond, but somehow, nothing he said made anything better. Instead, it only seemed to worsen things, until he found himself watching them all walk away from each other in anger, resentment, and even betrayal. Ever since then, Mickey has blamed himself for what had happened between his three friends, and has now seemed to have lost all belief in himself and in hope in general. I was honestly surprised when he did not return here to first hand over his Keyblade out of a belief that he was not worthy of it, but instead used the Star Shard he borrowed from my study to fling himself to a distant world that I have not been able to locate. I have tried all I can to find my wayward apprentice, but it has all been in vain. I can only assume it to mean that Mickey does not wish for me or anyone to find him at this time."

Sora and Kairi both looked down in sadness, thinking about how terrible it was for such a thing to have happened to Mickey. Ever since they first met the mouse king, they had always found him to never give up on anyone or anything, and that he would always stay true to his words, so to hear that something could have broken his spirit so greatly was actually quite heartbreaking for the two of them. Kairi then glanced up again as she asked, "If the only reason you can't find Mickey is because he doesn't want to be found, then why are you having a hard time locating Terra, Aqua, and Ven?"

Yen Sid stood up from his seat once again as he explained, "I have tried everything I could to find them, but I sensed that my efforts would be in vain when I saw that their stars had vanished from the sky. They are not surrounded by darkness, but they are not there either."

"So does that mean that…they're…," Sora could not bring himself to finish his question, as the thought was too horrible to even consider.

"No, I do not believe for a moment that they have perished," Yen Sid stated as he walked over to his window.

"So then, what happened to them? Where could they have gone," Kairi asked, clearly desperate for answers on her friends' whereabouts.

Yen Sid merely closed his eyes in thought, as he found that for the first time in many years, he did not have the answer to Kairi's question. All the same, he did have one theory as to what had happened to Eraqus's students, but he did not want to give the two false hope by leading them to think that Aqua and the others were actually much closer than they thought.

* * *

In the Mysterious Tower of the future, Donald was pacing back and forth impatiently while Goofy found he could not sit still due to how worried he was, which was understandable really. Ever since they had heard of what had happened to Aqua, Terra, and Ven, they were all considerably on edge, hoping against hope that Sora and Kairi's trip to see Master Yen Sid's past self would be of some help, especially since the present day master sorcerer did not have the answers they were seeking. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Roxas finally approached his girlfriend and asked, "Anything Naminé?"

Naminé continued to stand still for a moment, indicating she was in the trance she usually entered whenever she was either communicating with Sora and Kairi or just simply observing what they were doing, until she opened her eyes, looked up with a sad look, and shook her head as she said, "No. The Master Yen Sid of the past doesn't know anymore than we do about Aqua, Terra, and Ventus." She then looked over her shoulder to Mickey and added, "But he did tell them about why you went into a self-imposed exile. I'm really sorry Mickey. You shouldn't have had to go through all that."

"Gosh, Naminé, it's not really that big of a deal," Mickey said in slight remembrance of those events as well. "After all, we all go through some difficult times that challenge us as people, but the real trick to dealing with those times, is how you learn from them to become a better person than you were before."

"Yeah," Roxas nodded in agreement. "Nobody's perfect, not even Mickey. I think we all saw evidence of that during the Battle of a Million Heartless back in Radiant Garden when we thought Goofy was dead. I still remember how angry Mickey looked after seeing his friend in that state."

"Gwarsh fellers, I really didn't mean to worry ya so much, but I thought you'd have remembered that I get bumped on the head all the time, even if it does hurt," Goofy said sheepishly. Donald then stopped pacing before stomping up to Goofy and then slamming his staff down on Goofy's foot. "OUCH! That hurts too," Goofy cried out as he held the foot that had been hit.

"Good, because I'm gonna keep doing it to make sure you never do something like that again! We were all worried sick about you and really upset," Donald quacked in retort, crossing his arms and turning away as he did in an attempt to hide how upset he really was when he remembered that time as well.

Sadly, the duck wizard's attempts to hide his concern for his friend all failed when Roxas was able to see past it. "Awe Donald. I knew you really were a big softy under those rough, ruffled feathers," Roxas teased with a smirk.

"WAK! No I'm not," Donald immediately protested.

"Still, it kinda makes me wonder why he took so long to realize that Sora had turned into a Heartless and kept hitting him on the head," Goofy then added in good humor.

Donald immediately turned a glare onto Goofy as he asked, "Why can't you all ever forget about that?" He then went on to let out his usual quacks and noises of anger and annoyance, only to receive a good amount of laughter from the others in response.

Everyone continued to laugh at the short-tempered duck's expense until Roxas noticed that Donald had ceased his tantrum and was now looking off to a corner of the room. Thinking that they may have pushed their friend a little too much, Roxas leaned down a little before he said, "Hey come on, Donald. We were just teasing ya."

"No, no, no. It's not that," Donald immediately rebuffed. He then pointed to where he was looking and said, "There's something weird happening over there."

Everyone immediately ceased what they were doing, except for Naminé since she could not cease her work with the spell on Sora and Kairi unless Yen Sid were able to take over her for a moment, and immediately saw what had grabbed Donald's attention. At first, it seemed like nothing more than a light sparkle that one would expect from a cleaned area, but as it slowly grew larger and brighter, they could clearly see that it was some form of object that was shinning brilliantly with light. It had no identifiable shape, and in terms of colors, it seemed to vary every so often, with the most common colors being light blue, green, and brown, and only pure white appearing more often than any of them. Thinking that it might be trouble, Goofy and Donald both summoned their respective weapons while Mickey summoned his Star Seeker Keyblade.

"Roxas, be careful," Naminé warned her boyfriend when she saw that he had ended up being the only one brave enough to try and get closer to it. When he saw the girl's attention was beginning to waver a little, Yen Sid immediately moved to take over keeping the spell on Sora and Kairi intact just to be on the safe side, something Naminé was very grateful for.

Roxas looked to Naminé with a light smile that truly showed that he was Sora's Nobody before reassuring her that he would not do anything stupid, although, considering that he was Sora's Nobody, not everyone was entirely certain of that. Donald was just about to call Roxas out on just that when object suddenly surged with energy and began to glow brighter. "What'd you do? What'd you do," Donald demanded of the blonde.

"I didn't do anything, I barely even moved towards it that much," Roxas protested as the object's glow continued to rise in intensity, prompting Roxas to run over to Naminé and attempt to shield her while Donald and Mickey immediately ducked behind Goofy and his shield. They all then heard the faint sounds of an explosion, which was then followed by the sounds of several people landing roughly on the ground, some landing on top of others in a dog-pile from the sound of it, and upon opening their eyes to see what had happened, even Master Yen Sid's expression immediately became incredibly shocked at what they saw.

"Oh boy," Donald moaned.

"Unbelievable," Roxas whispered as he remained next to Naminé, who had since allowed Yen Sid to take over maintaining the spell since she was certain that her shock would have been too much of a distraction at what they were all seeing.

There, lying on the floor in front of them all in a pile up was none other than Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, the last of which was at the bottom of the pile and had begun tapping his hand on the ground rapidly in an attempt to get his friends to get off of him. Neither of the other two seemed to notice, or were just to groggy to notice their young friend's predicament, as they were also slow to raise themselves up a little, moaning a little as they seemed to nurse slight headaches, until Terra finally spoke up and said, "Okay, don't want to do that again."

"Good to know. Now can you guys please get off? You're crushing me," Ven told the two on top of him in a muffled holler.

Aqua and Terra's faces immediately morphed into concern when they finally noticed where the blonde member of their trio was, until Terra noticed something else and adopted a smirk instead. "I don't know Ven," Terra commented in a teasing tone. "I'd have thought you would enjoy having a woman pressed up against you so closely like that."

Ven's struggling immediately halted as Aqua also froze as well, for it was at that point that the two of them finally realized that Aqua was lying directly on top of Ven with her chest pressed into his back. Aqua's face immediately turned bright red in embarrassment and anger as she jumped up and swiped the laughing Terra, trying to scratch his eyes out or slap him for his comment while Ven just slowly stood up and looked away in an attempt to hide his own bright red face. After Terra managed to swiftly evade the blunette's wrath several times, Aqua finally relented and simply snarled, "You ever make a perverted comment like that again, and I'll burn you to a crisp with every single fire spell I know, starting from one spot in particular."

"Okay, okay, relax, I was just kidding," Terra said as he raised his hands in surrender. "Besides, it's not like Ven's not thinking about it too, right buddy?"

"Don't…don't drag me into this, and stop talking already before she really follows through on that threat," Ven mumbled under his breath.

The three would have continued on like this had they not heard a familiar voice that made them all freeze in shock when it cried out, "You're here?!"

"Was that…" Ven started to ask.

"But it can't be…" Terra whispered in equal shock.

"Mickey," Aqua then whispered as they all finally turned around and saw the king of Disney Castle standing before them with his Keyblade still out, having been to shocked to even think of dismissing it. Aqua's face then lit up with joy as she raced forward and scooped the anthropomorphic mouse into her arms and hugged him tightly as she cried, "Mickey! It's really you! You're here!"

Everyone could only continue to stare in shock as Aqua hugged the struggling Mickey tightly, his words being muffled by Aqua, until Yen Sid finally broke the silence by saying, "Inconceivable. Truly an unexpected development."

The two boys both gained looks of confusion until Ven noticed Donald and Goofy were there as well and immediately brightened up as he exclaimed, "Donald, Goofy! It's great to see you guys again!"

"Aw shucks, it's great to see you too, Ven," Goofy replied as he and Donald accepted Ven into a group hug. "Well, good to see you up and about after all these years anyway."

"What? What'd you mean up and about, or after all these years for that matter," Ven asked in confusion. "I know it's been a while, but it hasn't been that long since I last saw you guys."

"Maybe not for you, but it has been for us," Donald quacked in reply.

"Okay, now I'm really confused," Ven admitted. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Aqua, please, put me down," Mickey finally demanded in a muffled cry, causing Aqua to finally release Mickey and set him down on the ground as the mouse had requested. "Listen, there's a lot more going on here than any of you realize," Mickey then revealed. "But it is really good to see you all again after all this time. I just wish it were under better circumstances."

"Why do you keep saying stuff like that," Aqua asked.

"Yeah, come on Mickey. It hasn't been that long," Ven said. He then took notice of the outfit that Mickey was wearing and the fact that it was the same style but in different colors as his old one from when they last met, and could not help but say, "Nice new outfit by the way. That's way better than you're old black and silver one."

Mickey was about to thank Ven for compliment where Terra suddenly cut in from where he was at the window, saying, "Guys, you…you might want to see this."

Aqua and Ven did not like the sound of horror in Terra's voice when he spoke, but all the same, they still found themselves moving over to the star shaped window, only to gasp in horror themselves when they looked out to see barely any stars in the sky at all. "What…what's going on," Ven whispered, fearing the answer.

"Are…are those all the worlds that are left," Aqua whispered through the hand she had placed over her mouth in shock.

"It gets worse," Terra warned them as he pointed downward, drawing the other two's gazes in that direction. The minute Aqua and Ven saw what Terra was pointing at, they wished that they had not, for they saw all of their friends from other worlds, and many other strange people that they did not recognize fighting against a vast army of Heartless, Unversed, and some silver skinned creatures that they assumed to be the Nobodies that Sora and Kairi had told them about.

Beyond the creatures of darkness, they also saw Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and Xemnas leading the charge, along with many other villains from some of the worlds that they had encountered in the past, and some other familiar individuals that they recognized from their first visit to Radiant Garden as well. Terra's eyes had narrowed a bit upon seeing Xigbar, as he remembered encountering the Nobody back when he was Braig, and Ventus and Aqua were also shocked to see the Nobodies of Even, Ienzo, Dilan, and many others as well that they recognized. They also spotted some other people using strange weapons and Keyblades of their own fighting against the forces of darkness, but the fact that there were so many people fighting in such a battle on Yen Sid's world was a sight that they found truly terrifying.

"What is all this," Aqua whispered in horror. "Just what happened to us to cause us to end up in such a nightmare?"

"Ansem and Xemnas cast a spell on you," Yen Sid answered, gaining the threes attention as he approached them, having let Naminé resume her duties of maintaining the spell on Sora and Kairi. "The moment that happened, you three disappeared completely, right before Sora and Kairi's eyes. It would seem that the spell they used was a much more powerful version of the one that we had cast on Sora and Kairi and now…you are here, in their time. It truly saddens me to say that this is the future that they were seeking your aid in preventing."

"This is…Sora and Kairi's time," Ven whispered in horror, his expression matching Aqua and Terra's almost perfectly.

"Not a pretty sight, is it," Roxas asked, drawing the threes attention on to him. The minute the three saw Roxas, they all did a double take, especially Ventus, as the sight of the Nobody had completely thrown them for a loop. None of them could say anything until Roxas casually smiled and asked, "What? Surprised to see me?"

"A little," Ven admitted. "I'm more surprised that I not only lived through all this, but that I haven't even aged a day."

Roxas could not stop himself from laughing in response, and he was not able to say anything in reply until he finally calmed down and corrected, "Hate to break it to ya, Ven, but I'm not you. At least, not exactly. My name's Roxas; I'm Sora's Nobody."

"You're Roxas," Ven, Terra, and Aqua all exclaimed at the same time.

When Roxas nodded in reply, all three of the Keybearers out of time could only stare in silence before Ventus finally smiled a bit and said, "Well that explains a lot."

"Wait, what about Sora and Kairi," Aqua suddenly asked. "Are they alright?"

"They are fine," Yen Sid assured Aqua. He then gestured to the twos apparently sleeping forms, which Naminé was standing in the middle of as he added, "They are both still in your own era, greatly worried about you, but they are alright, even if they are vulnerable in their current state in this time."

"Don't worry, I'm letting them know you're all alright as we speak," Naminé then assured the three.

"So I'm guessing that means you're Naminé," Terra assumed, getting a nod in reply from the blonde girl. Terra then smiled a little as he leaned over to Ven and whispered, "You know, she's actually kind of cute. You two would probably make a good couple."

"Terra," Ven shouted in embarrassment, while Roxas threw a glare at the older boy.

"Don't get any ideas," Roxas warned them both. "She's my girlfriend."

Aqua was not paying attention at this point, as she was quick to ask Naminé if there was any way she and her friends could talk to Sora and Kairi directly. When Naminé told her that it was not possible because Aqua did not have the same powers as her, the blunette immediately became a bit depressed and found herself silently wishing there was a way that they could communicate with Sora and Kairi, even for a minute. She was immediately jumped out of her thoughts when she suddenly heard Kairi's voice saying, _"Don't worry Aqua. Everything's going to be okay in no time. I know it."_

When Terra and Ven saw Aqua suddenly become startled for no apparent reason, they immediately became concerned and quickly asked what was wrong. "Did either of you two just hear Kairi talking in your heads," Aqua asked them, getting a confused look from everyone in the room.

"I think I would've noticed if a pretty girl was talking in my head," Ventus told Aqua in reply.

 _"_ _Hey, watch it! For one thing, you're talking about a woman who is a lot younger than you, and for another thing that's my girlfriend you're talking about. I-I mean my good friend. My very good friend. In other words, you no touchy,"_ Sora's voice then called out into Ventus's head, startling him as well.

"Okay, that I heard," Terra stated. "Please tell me we're not all going crazy."

 _"_ _Sorry to freak you guys out, but believe me, you're not going crazy,"_ Kairi's voice assured Terra. _"Master Yen Sid in this time just used a spell that would allow us to communicate with you through the D-Link even though you're in a different time, but you'll need to have the Master Yen Sid of that time cast the same spell in that time so that it doesn't wear off."_

Aqua was the first to snap out of her surprised state and quickly informed everyone of what she and the other two had just heard, and after having Naminé confirm Aqua's claims, Yen Sid was quick to hurry to his spell books so that he could cast the spell that they needed.

* * *

It took a little while for Yen Sid to find the spell that they needed, but he eventually did find it with a little help from Mickey, and was thus able to cast the spell on Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. With that detail out of the way, there was only one thing left that they needed to deal with. "How'd they get sent here to begin with or why were they sent here for that matter," Roxas finally asked, voicing the question everyone was wondering.

"It's hard to say," Mickey admitted. "Maybe they thought that by trapping them in this timeline, they'd have permanently altered history in some way, or that by causing them to see this future, they'd have demoralized Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. Of course, that first one doesn't seem very likely given how much of a role that these three play in Xehanort's plans."

"What if the spell wasn't meant to send us to this time at all and we just ended up here because we had spent so much time with Sora and Kairi. It could've just been a freak accident in which Xemnas and Ansem's spell collided with the one you're using on Sora and Kairi to keep them in the past and caused its affects to change and then send us into the future instead of what it was originally intended to do," Terra then theorized.

"It does seem a bit likely," Aqua admitted. "But I doubt that would really be the case."

"Does it really matter at this point," Ven then asked. "What I want to know is how the hell are we going to get back again so we can stop all this shit from happening?"

"Ven, language," Aqua and Naminé both said at the same time. The two girls looked at each other in surprise for a minute, and then started giggling at the fact that they had said the same thing at the same time.

"Oh great, now there's two of 'em," Roxas muttered under his breath, just low enough that he was sure Naminé would not be able to hear. Unfortunately, she did hear him and threw him a glare in response, which had Roxas immediately worrying for his life as he quickly said, "Love you sweetie."

"He is so whipped," Terra muttered.

 _"_ _Trust me, you don't know the half of it,"_ Sora told Terra as he snickered a little.

"Getting back on track though, Ven's right. We do need to get back quickly if we can stop this from happening," Aqua cut in before anyone else could say anything to further tease Roxas. "Could we use the same spell that you used on Sora and Kairi?"

"I am afraid not," Yen Sid replied sadly. "The spell we used could only work on Sora and one other person close to him, so long as they did not play a major part in the events of the time Sora was traveling to or did not have a Keyblade at the time. Not only that, but while Sora and Kairi are both in the past, their physical bodies are here with us in this time. In essence, they are like spirits given physical form, and we cannot have you return in such a way since you need to be there in that time personally."

"But if we don't find a way to get them back, what'll happen to this time," Donald asked.

"Master, is there anything in your book that tells about this," Mickey asked.

"No," Yen Sid replied sadly. "The records in the book of Keyblade Wielder history have now begun to shift and change so much that I can hardly tell what stories are supposed to be in it and which are not. Even so, I never once saw anything in it that told of something like this happening to any wielders, let alone Aqua, Terra, and Ventus."

Everyone soon found themselves hanging their heads down sadly, because they knew that if what Yen Sid said was true, then they had no way of knowing what should or should not change in the past anymore, and they also had no idea how to send Aqua, Terra, and Ventus home, if there even was a way to do so. While there were likely other spells they could use, they either required a great deal of more power than anyone currently gathered in the tower currently had, or it required the use of dark magic, and no one was willing to use something so dangerous. If Yen Sid truly did not have a spell that could send the three back to their time, then what chance was there to save the future now?

The despairing silence continued to reign throughout the room until Roxas suddenly hummed in thought, and everyone quickly turned to see that the Ven's look-a-like had gained a thoughtful expression. "What's the matter," Donald asked.

"It's nothing, just…," Roxas replied. He then went silent for another minute before he finally added, "I think that…there might be a way to send you guys back to your time after all. The only problem is that it would be incredibly risky to get to it, and I'm not even one hundred percent sure it would even work."

"Well what is it," Terra asked. "Given that we don't seem to have many other options, I think we're more than willing to take what we can get."

Roxas hesitated for a minute before he finally sighed and then looked to everyone and explained what he had thought of. "Back when I was with Organization XIII, I would sometimes wander around the Castle That Never Was if I was really bored and I didn't feel like going to get Sea-Salt Ice Cream. Axel and Xion did the same thing to, sometimes we even all did it together, but we usually all did so on our own. Anyways, as I was doing so one day, I noticed that the door to a room that was always locked was slightly open, and I could hear someone inside. I had passed that room plenty of times in the past, and I knew it was the one room that no one other than Xemnas was allowed to enter unless they wanted to risk getting turned into a Dusk, but seeing it opened a little like that and hearing voices coming from inside made me curious as to what was in there, so I went up and looked in as quietly as I could."

"What was in there," Ven asked when Roxas paused in his story.

"From what I could tell, Xemnas was in there along with three other people. After I joined all of you guys I found out that two of the three were actually Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xehanort, but I never did find out who the third person was. He was always standing in the shadows, and even when he wasn't, he was always wearing his hood up, but I did see that he was wearing a more extravagant version of the coats that all the members of Organization XIII normally wear. It was mostly black of course, but it was decorated with silver and dark gold designs that looked like nothing I had ever seen before. Anyways, I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but from what I could see, they were all gathered around some sort of window that was showing a bunch of different images that I couldn't recognize. At least, I couldn't recognize them until after this whole thing with time travel and other stuff started. After I heard about the mission that Master Yen Sid and Mickey wanted to send Sora and Kairi on, it all finally made sense. The images that they were looking at in that window were actually events in history; your history from when your journeys began."

Everyone gasped in awe at what Roxas had said, not entirely sure what to make of it, until Yen Sid finally whispered, "Could it be…an actual Time Window?"

"Master," Naminé asked in confusion.

"What's a Time Window," Aqua asked. "I've never heard of anything like that before."

"I'm not surprised," Yen Sid admitted. "It is a very rare magic that even fewer have ever learned to use. With it, one can look into any moment in time and view the events that take place as though they were watching a recording in a window. Some that have learned this magic have used it to predict the future, but this is the first time I've heard of someone using it to view the past."

"Maybe that's how Xehanort caught onto our plan so quickly," Mickey theorized. "If he could see the past like that, then he probably saw Sora and Kairi land in that time period the minute we sent them there."

"It is possible," Yen Sid stated. "But what's more important is that we now have a way to send Aqua, Terra, and Ventus back to their time."

"How," Aqua asked. "I thought you said that the Time Window magic could only be used to view moments in time."

"Normally, that would be the case, but if a group of Keyblade Wielders were to focus their power on the window from both sides at the same time, then the energy of the Time Window would increase to the point where it could send someone through it to the time it shows," Yen Sid then revealed.

"So all we have to do is get Sora and Kairi to find where the place that the window is viewing is and have them send some power into it at the same time that we do," Ven stated.

"Not quite," Yen Sid corrected. "It would only work if the number of Keyblade Wielders focusing power on both sides is exactly the same. In other words, all three of you will need to focus your power on the window from this side at the same time that Sora, Kairi, and one other person does from their side."

"Well then why bring it up," Roxas asked. "Last time I checked, there were only three Keyblade Wielders in that time, and all three of them are right here."

"No, there wasn't three of us; there was four of us," Aqua corrected with a small smile on her face as she glanced towards one of the people in the room.

Everyone immediately turned to see who Aqua was looking towards, only to find that her gaze was focused on none other than Mickey. When he realized what Aqua was suggesting, Mickey quickly protested, "No, that's not possible. Maybe if I were there myself I could do it, but I doubt we'd ever be able to convince my past self to help without you three there to help encourage him to do so."

"We don't really have much of a choice," Roxas argued. "If we want these three to get back to where they belong in history, we're going to need your past self's help."

Mickey finally sighed in defeat, admitting that they were right and agreeing to have Sora and Kairi go after his past self right away. With that done, Roxas then looked to Terra, Aqua, and Ventus as he then said, "I can guide you guys to the World That Never Was, but getting there in and of itself is going to be difficult as it is. We'll be flying right into the lion's den, and even four Keyblade Wielders won't be enough to successfully pull off an invasion of Xehanort's home base. We would need a small army at minimum to pull it off."

"You're going to need more than that, son, and I think I've got just what you need to pull it off," a new voice suddenly interrupted. Everyone immediately turned to the door and saw that a man with blonde hair and blue eyes had entered the room. The man in question was dressed in an outfit that was mostly blue, with red and white stripes going around his stomach, and a silver star in the center of his chest that was highlighted by dark silver and red outlines. The rest of his outfit comprised of a brown belt, dark red gloves and boots, and a blue mask with the letter "A" above the eyes. As he walked into the room, everyone also saw that the sides of his shoulders had a decorative, red and silver letter "A", and a red, white, and blue shield with a star in the center was strapped on his back.

"Steve Rogers, alias Captain America at your service," the man introduced himself as when he finally reached Roxas and held out his hand for a handshake, which the blonde immediately accepted. "My team and I heard all about your efforts here, and we only just recently arrived to see how we could help. I was told by a man named Leon to come up here and speak to all of you directly, and I couldn't help overhearing when I finally made it up."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Roxas," the blonde Nobody replied. "But I hope you know that going to the World That Never Was and invading Xehanort's base is a very risky move."

"I'm well aware of the risks involved, and so is the rest of my team, and I can tell you right now son, that none of us are going to care about that," Steve immediately revealed. "We've faced incredible odds defending our world and other worlds many times before, and we've always managed to come out on top. We may not be an entire army, but I guarantee that we're better than any army you could ask for in such an operation."

Terra then walked up to the captain and said, "I hope you realize that there's a very real chance that some of you may not make it back."

"Believe me, we are, and like I said, we don't care," Steve stated. "We're going to do whatever it takes to make sure that there is no possible way in which the enemy comes out on top. We've already failed to protect our world, but you can be absolutely certain that we'll avenge it."

Roxas looked to Terra, who then exchanged a few glances with Aqua and Ventus, as it was really down to those three to make a decision as to whether or not they would bring someone along on this mission. After one final silent exchange between the three friends, Aqua walked up to Steve and held out her hand as she smiled and said, "We'd be happy to have your help, Captain America."

Steve smiled and accepted the offered hand before turning around and beginning to make his way back outside. He then paused for a minute before he said, "Before you go thinking of how we're going to get there, don't worry about it. We've got a ride that should have enough room for everyone."

Roxas nodded in response and then motioned for Terra, Aqua, and Ven to follow him and Steve. The three only paused for a minute to exchange a quick goodbye with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Naminé, and Yen Sid before doing so, and as soon as they had left, Mickey turned to Naminé to finally inform her of the location where Sora and Kairi could find his past self.

* * *

Sora and Kairi were able to hear everything that was said in the future, and the minute they heard the plan, they were eager to do their part and find Mickey's past self. That was why the minute Naminé told them where they could find the past version of their friend they immediately bid Yen Sid farewell and raced out the door and into the Lanes Between so that they could travel to the world they needed to go to. After flying off in the direction that Mickey had said they would need to fly for a few hours or so, Sora had to comment, "You know considering how far we're having to travel to get to this place it actually doesn't seem that surprising that Master Yen Sid was having trouble finding Mickey."

"I doubt that distance would really matter all that much in how effective Master Yen Sid's locator spells would be, Sora," Kairi chuckled in reply. "But if what Mickey told us about the place itself is any indication, it could have more of something to do with the weather there."

"Well yeah, there's that too," Sora conceded. "Still, I just hope Mickey was kidding when he said we'd have to make sure we're able to dress warmly while we're there."

Kairi had to laugh a bit in response to that before she blushed a little as she said, "Well, if one of us isn't warm enough we could always…snuggle together and share body heat…or something."

Sora's face immediately turned crimson under his helmet when he heard that, and he immediately fell into a stuttering mess, not knowing that was Kairi's intention in saying that, even though the thought of snuggling up with Sora to stay warm on a cold night was very appealing to her. They then elected to shake themselves out of their shared embarrassment and just race the rest of the way to their destination, hoping that they would be able to find the past Mickey and convince him to help them before it was too late.

* * *

On a distant world, snow was glowing white on the mountain tops with not a foot print to be seen. A relative kingdom of isolation save for one small figure that held a sword shaped like a key. The figure seemed to stare at the obvious Keyblade for a minute before he finally dismissed it in a flash of light and began trudging through the snow, holding his hood up as best he could in the wind. He had come to this world hoping to isolate himself from everyone he knew out of a feeling of having failed them, but at the moment, he was just hoping to find some shelter from the sudden, light snow storm that had just came up out of nowhere.

His prayers for shelter were soon answered when his eyes fell upon a magnificent castle of ice that seemed to shimmer and glow in the light like nothing he had ever seen before. Seeing no other options, the figure immediately ran up to the door, being careful to not slip on the stairs of ice that led up to it as he did, and knocked a couple of times before the door slid open after his last knock. The figure slowly poked his head in before entering slowly as he called out in a squeaky voice, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Who are you," a gentle, yet slightly frightened female voice called out in response. When the figure turned to see who had spoken, he was immediately awestruck by the sight of a beautiful woman with pale skin and long, pale blonde hair that curled a bit at the end and fell over the front of one shoulder. She wore an extravagant, crystal blue dress that seemed to shine like the ice that the castle was made of and which flowed as she slowly walked down the staircase towards him, completing the image of what one would consider a wondrous snow queen.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the figure quickly apologized after he was finally able to stop himself from staring and lowered his hood to reveal the face of one Mickey Mouse underneath. "I didn't mean to intrude, but I was caught out in a blizzard and was hoping that I could stay in your castle for a little while until it passes."

The woman smiled a little at Mickey before she said, "It's quite alright, but you should really leave. It's not safe here or anywhere close to where I am. You see, I have these magic powers over ice that I can't control, and after it was revealed to the people of my kingdom, they became frightened of me. So I ran away and built this castle so that I could hide myself away from the world, where it would be safe for both me and everyone else."

Mickey gave a small, sad smile and then said, "I understand. You see, I'm trying to hide from some people too. I have some magic powers of my own that I'm supposed to use to help people, but I wasn't able to do that for some really good friends of mine, and now I think it would be better if I just wasn't around to cause anymore harm to them or anyone else that I was close to."

Though Mickey was giving a sad smile as he spoke, the woman could tell that it was hiding a great deal of pain and sorrow, one that she could actually relate to a little. She had to smile as she found herself sharing a slight kinship with the mouse in a way, but she still backed away as she said, "I would be happy to welcome you into my castle, but it's still too dangerous to be around me. I wouldn't want to hurt you. I already hurt my sister with these powers when we were kids, and while I'm lucky that I didn't accidentally freeze her heart with them, the thought of doing something like that to others scares me a lot."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me," Mickey reassured her as he summoned Star Seeker to show to the woman. "I have a special kind of magic that keeps me from getting hurt by other forms of magic, so even if you did accidentally use your powers on me, I'd be a-okay. So whaddya say we be alone together?"

The woman smiled in reply for a minute before asking, "You really wouldn't mind my uncontrollable ice powers?"

"Not if you don't mind me being a big talking mouse with a Keyblade," Mickey replied with a small chuckle. The woman had to laugh a little in response before she finally nodded in acceptance, silently saying that Mickey could stay. "Hot dog," Mickey said. "Oh by the way, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name's Mickey, Mickey Mouse, and I'm the king of a faraway place known as Disney Town."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, King Mickey," the woman said with a polite curtsy. "I'm Elsa, the former queen of Arendelle."

"Gosh, no need to be so formal, Elsa," Mickey politely told the former queen. "Just call me Mickey."

Elsa nodded in reply to this, and then waved a hand forward to prompt Mickey to follow her on a tour of the ice castle that she herself had made, getting a small chuckle from Mickey in response. As the two walked through the palace, they exchanged a few stories about themselves along with a few laughs as well, and they could easily tell that they could see the start of a beautiful friendship forming between them. Though sadly, they were also completely unaware of the eternal winter that had begun to plague the peaceful kingdom many miles below the mountain that Elsa's ice castle sat atop of.

* * *

 ** _AN: Well that's a wrap for this chapter._**

 ** _Xion: [slamming Xaldin with hammer hat in AN's place, and laughing as she does so] Okay, I'll admit it, this kind of thing is pretty funny._**

 ** _AN: SHE ADMITS IT! SHE ADMITS THAT THIS STUFF IS FUNNY! [hits control and chorus singing hallelujah starts singing]_**

 ** _Xion: Okay, okay, we get it already. So, the Birth By Sleep trio is in Sora and Kairi's time and are about to storm the Castle That Never Was in order to get back along with Roxas and the Avengers huh?_**

 ** _AN: Yep. In all honesty, I wasn't originally planning to have the Avengers in this story, or any MARVEL characters for that matter, beyond some funny gags in the authors notes, but after seeing the Ant-Man movie, I just couldn't resist the temptation to throw them in. You'll see the line-up for the Avengers team in this story next chapter, and also, Captain America's uniform is basically a mix between his Age of Ultron suit and the one we all know best._**

 ** _Xion: You do realize that having Roxas and those guys go there means that they're likely to run into me, Riku, Vanitas, and probably a lot of other guys, right?_**

 ** _AN: Oh believe me, I'm planning on that. I know a little while back I said I wasn't going to give Roxas any action scenes in this story, but the more I thought on it, the more I felt that I had to give the guy something, especially if this was going to happen, so yeah, you and Riku are going to get some action as well, because let's face it, there wouldn't be too much of a point to putting all you guys in this story and just give you small role._**

 ** _Xion: And then there's that last thing at the end._**

 ** _AN: Right, the thing with Mickey and Elsa. Yes, Mickey's past self is in the world of Frozen, and you can bet that Sora and Kairi are going to encounter Ana, Kristoff, and all those other guys too when they get there. A while back one of my followers had suggested I do a little something with the world of Frozen that involved Sora and Kairi, and after thinking about it for a while, I realized that Arendelle was actually just the world I needed as the place where past Mickey could be hiding away. Now we won't be seeing any of that for a little while, but in the meantime, here's what we will be seeing. Onto the Preview!..._**

 ** _Roxas acts as a guide for the team traveling to The World That Never Was, and through said world as well, as he and his fellow Keybearers discover a little more about their current allies, who are actually a team of superheroes known on their world as the Avengers. Upon arriving at the world that Roxas once had to call home, the four Keybearers are able to witness just how mighty a force that the team of heroes really is before they storm the castle where Xehanort and his forces make their base. What sort of encounters will the four heroes face in Xehanort's fortress, and just who will be waiting for them inside? Find out the answers and the dangers that will come about, next time._**

 ** _Xion: Well, that sounds pretty exciting._**

 ** _AN: I know right? Say, you are keeping an eye on Xaldin to make sure he doesn't get slammed out the window or something, right?_**

 ** _Xion: Uuuuuh...maybe? [looks just in time to see Xaldin get hit by the hammer again and through the window, just as the bubblegum snaps loose] Okay, maybe not. That's not a bad thing right?_**

 ** _AN: Nah, he wasn't really important for this story anyway. I just wanted to beat him up a little cause I had such a hard time beating him in Kingdom Hearts II._**

 ** _Xion: Oh, okay._**

 ** _AN: Anyways..._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	14. Into Darkness's Den

_**AN: Hey guys, we're back with more action, more excitement, and more mysteries with Keyblades of Future Past.**_

 _ **Terra: What do you mean "more mysteries"? We haven't had that many mysteries since the earliest chapters of the story, and you cleared up all the other mysteries faster than you can say Kingdom Hearts.**_

 _ **AN: Are you trying to get on my bad side? [waves hand over control]**_

 _ **Terra: No! No, I'm just stating a little fact.**_

 _ **AN: Well keep such things to yourself and let me enjoy the moment. Now without further ado...**_

 _ **Riku: FINALLY! I GET SOME ACTUAL SCREEN TIME AND SOME ACTION! [starts dancing to "Celebrate Good Times"]**_

 _ **AN: Okay, who decided to try and take over the music system, or give control of the thing to that guy?**_

 _ **Xion: Let him have his moment. Considering that I had more screen time than him, and still do, he kinda deserves it.**_

 _ **Riku: [entering depressed state after hearing Xion] Thanks for reminding me of that.**_

 _ **Xion: Uh...whoopsie.**_

 _ **AN: DAH! CHARACTER GONE EMO! [hits control and Riku is suddenly jumped by the Joker from Batman Arkham Series]**_

 _ **Joker: Come on kid, turn that frown upside down! You'll do it even if I have to carve a knife into ya to do it.**_

 _ **AN: HEY! None of that! You're only here to do actual funny stuff.**_

 _ **Joker: Hmph. Some people have no sense of humor.**_

 _ **Xion: Maybe we should hurry up and start?**_

 _ **AN: We would've by now if someone hadn't decided to have a diva moment [throws look at terrified Riku]**_

 _ **Riku: HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!**_

 _ **AN: Oh don't be such a baby. He can't kill you in these things, and even if he did try to the new security system will prevent that from happening. Now moving on...**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter XIV**

Amidst the chaos of the battle for the Mysterious Tower, the four Keybearers and Captain America were able to slip out of the tower undetected thanks to an invisibility spell, courtesy of Aqua and Naminé, and over to the ship that Captain America said they would be using to reach The World That Never Was, and when the four Keybearers saw the ship, they were immediately awestruck by the sight of the vessel. The ship was much larger than any Gummi Ship that Roxas had ever seen before, but at the same time it was still smaller than the ship that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had all been on when they first met Stitch, and was colored silver and dark blue, with red highlights. From where they were standing, the four could also see the same decorative letter "A" that the captain wore on the shoulders of his suit in silver, and that the large wings could be folded up when it was not flying, as they currently were. However, it was not the ship that really threw the team of Keyblade Wielders for a loop, but rather, the other members of Steve's team.

The first of the group that they met was the Avengers second-in-command, a man by the name of Tony Stark who told them that his codename was Iron Man, and he was quick to show them why by causing a suit of red and gold armor to form around him seemingly just by thinking at the suit. Their first impression of the armored hero was that he was a complete playboy that did not take anything seriously, especially when he started to flirt with Aqua, much to the blunette's embarrassment and Terra and Ven's annoyance, but Steve was quick to assure the four that while Tony may not always seem like it at times, he was a very strong hero who believed in fighting for the right reasons and was often a great team player, despite his claims to the contrary. Immediately following after Iron Man was a blonde in blue and silver, sleeveless armor and a red cape that carried a hammer and went by the name of Thor. After receiving a very eccentric greeting from the blonde man, the four were quickly put off, but they were soon assured by the black and red clad archer among the group, who introduced himself as Hawkeye, that everyone had that reaction after meeting Thor for the first time and told them that they should just roll with it.

Aside from Hawkeye, there really only seemed to be two other members of the Avengers team that did not have crazy suits or incredible powers or technology, a young red haired woman in a black, skin tight suit with yellow wrist bands, who introduced herself as Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, and a dark skinned man in a black and red flight suit with a large back pack and goggles named Sam Wilson, the Falcon. After the quick greetings were exchanged with the two, Aqua found herself immediately liking Black Widow due to her intense focus and well disciplined nature, while Terra thought Sam was a very friendly guy as well.

Moving back to the stranger members saw the Keybearers being introduced to someone they first thought was a man with red skin in a green and yellow outfit with a yellow gem in his forehead by the name of Vision, but said individual was quick to correct them on their assumption by informing them that he was actually an android, much to their shock, as the Vision seemed to act quite human for a machine. In addition to the android member was a man that wore a suit of armor that made him seem like a more heavily armed version of Iron Man with less bright colors, and who introduced himself as Rhodey, alias War Machine, followed by a pair of twins by the names of Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, alias Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. The male of the twins was quick to show off why he was called as such when he raced out of the jet to the other side of the world and then back again in a matter of seconds while Wanda merely said that she would rather show them why she went by her codename after they reached their destination.

Moving on from the twins, was a man in a black and red suit, with a silver helmet and belt by the name of Scott Lang, who informed the four that he went by the code name of Ant-Man. When he first heard the name, Terra had to snicker a little, leading Aqua to elbow him in the stomach and shoot him a disapproving look until Scott assured Aqua that he did not mind seeing as he received similar reactions all the time and that he was not the one who chose the name. Along with Scott was a woman that claimed to be his partner in a similarly designed suit that was colored yellow and dark blue who introduced herself as Hope Van Dyne, the Wasp. Hope was the one who explained to the four Keybearers that she was actually the daughter of the previous Wasp and Ant-Man and had taken up her mother's old mantle after her father had named Scott his successor. The four then found themselves moving on from insects to arachnids when they met a young man in a red and blue suit with a spider shaped symbol on his chest and back, and a red mask that had large, white eyes, who called himself the Amazing Spider-Man. They were a bit nervous about the web head at first, but Ven soon found himself liking Spider-Man quite a bit, saying that Spidey seemed like a really funny guy.

The final member of the group was probably the one that caught all four Keybearers off guard, as he seemed to be the most normal of the otherwise strange group. The man introduced himself as Bruce Banner, and from first glance, they honestly thought that Bruce had a rather rough lifestyle, given that his hair was rather mussed up, and his skin was a bit pale, indicating he did not get out of his house much. Aside from that, he wore what appeared to be a dark colored shirt and a pair of dark purple pants that had dark highlights running up the sides right to a red version of the same decorative "A" that the four had been seeing so much of lately. When Terra asked Bruce if he had a codename like the others, Bruce just said that he had "the other guy" and that the four would see what he meant by that later on.

With all introductions out of the way, and Wasp and Ant-Man shrinking themselves down so that there would be enough room for everyone aboard the vessel that Steve informed the Keybearers was known as the Quinjet, Roxas quickly handed the three from the past each a summon charm that they could use should the need arise. Of the three summon charms Roxas handed to them, only Terra received a charm that would summon someone that the three had not met before, as Aqua and Ven received charms for Stitch and Peter Pan respectively, while he received a charm that would someone by the name of Genie. With everything now dealt with and all preparations complete, Tony immediately sat himself down at the main pilot controls while Roxas took the co-pilot seat so that he could guide the group to their destination after saying a loving goodbye to Naminé, promising her that he would come back soon.

As soon as they were through the world barrier and flying to their destination, everyone found themselves in a rather tense silence, knowing that their destination was likely to have a very dangerous welcoming committee. Feeling that he could not take the silence for too long, even if most of them were mentally preparing themselves for the battles ahead, Ven finally broke the silence as he asked, "Are you guys sure that none of you are too cramped in here?"

"Relax, we're fine," Spidey assured his friend from his perch on the ceiling. "It's not like the place is packed to the point that we can barely move around like on a New York subway at rush hour or something."

"Hey I thought you'd be a bit happier if it was that cramped, Ven. After all, it would give you and Aqua a good excuse to do a little more cuddling," Terra told the blonde with a teasing smirk.

Aqua and Ven's faces immediately turned bright red at Terra's remark, as he seemed intent on not letting them forget about the position they found themselves in when they landed in Yen Sid's tower a short while ago, but before either one of them could say anything in response, Roxas added in, "Don't take it too personally, you guys. Everyone was making fun of me and Naminé like that for a long time, even after we finally got together. At least you guys aren't as bad as Sora and Kairi are with their feelings for each other."

"I swear you two, if you don't knock it off right now," Aqua growled at the smirking boys warningly.

She was immediately interrupted by Thor, who was heartily laughing at the conversation before saying, "Worry not, Lady Aqua. Such well-mannered teasing is quite normal for brave warriors who are about to face such a great battle in which they will soon meet their destinies. Truly, this day shall long be remembered in a great many songs in Valhalla."

"He means that in a good way, right," Ven asked Hawkeye.

"Honestly, it's hard to really say sometimes," the archer shrugged. "It's usually best to just take it as a positive most of the time, unless he says it with a tone that's a bit more morbid and then just smile and nod."

All four Keybearers immediately took the archer's advice and did just that, feeling a bit more relaxed now after their little exchange of words, when the Quinjet suddenly shook under the force of an explosion. "We've got a number of bogeys coming at us fast," Tony shouted from the pilot's seat. "Hawkeye, Widow!"

"We're on it," Hawkeye replied as he and the redhead immediately jumped into a pair of seats on either side with a set of controls that clearly operated some of the ship's weapons.

Ven, Aqua, and Terra then glanced out the window to see that what was originally a peaceful route was now fraught with numerous monsters and ships that were coming after them in all directions. "Sora, Kairi, what just happened over here," Terra immediately shouted, thinking that the two would be able to explain what was going on.

 _"What do you mean? What's wrong,"_ Sora immediately asked, worriedly.

"We had a nice, easy path before us, and the next thing we know, we're being attacked on all sides," Aqua explained as calmly as she could over the explosions.

 _"Is that all,"_ Kairi asked in disbelief, almost as though she could not believe that the three were worrying about something that was an everyday occurrence.

"No, it just appeared out of nowhere," Aqua clarified.

 _"Well if that is the case, then welcome to our world, literally,"_ Kairi informed the three. _"Sounds like you're experiencing the affects of time shifts firsthand while finding out just what we have to go through every time we normally have to visit a world for the first time. We always have to fight a bunch of monsters and things along the way before we can safely approach a world, since we couldn't bypass that by traveling on a Keyblade Glider like you guys normally do."_

"Well if that's the case, then maybe you can help us out in the present," Ven then asked.

 _"Which present,"_ Sora asked. _"You're in_ our _present. Do you mean our past-present or your present-future?"_

"I hate you," Aqua growled in annoyance, knowing that Sora just pulled the same joke on them that she did on him and Kairi shortly after they first met while pointing out an obvious fact at the same time.

The battle that ensued was quite fierce, but with Hawkeye and Black Widow manning the weapons and Tony at the flight controls, the Quinjet was able to make it through relatively unscathed, and soon enough, they could see the massive form of the dark, depressing world that Xehanort and his forces used as their base of operations. Everyone could only look on in awe for a moment merely due to the world's size alone, before Tony finally brought everyone out of their musings by flying the Quinjet straight through the world barrier. "Okay, so that's the hard part down," Iron Man stated confidently.

"Don't kid yourself or anyone else for that matter," Roxas immediately warned the armor wearing hero. "That was the easy part. We've barely even begun to get close to reaching the final goal of this mission."

At Roxas's words, everyone was quick to begin final checks on their suits, equipment, and other items, just as a final precaution for the inevitable confrontation, hoping against hope that the blonde Nobody was wrong.

* * *

Sadly, Roxas's warning was well given, as the minute the Quinjet had penetrated the world barrier, Xehanort had immediately perked up from his observation of the battle at the Mysterious Tower. "It would seem that we have some unexpected visitors," the elder, fallen master softly mused.

"So what," Vanitas asked in a non-caring manner. "You want me and those other two to deal with them? It'll be over quickly, and we'll finally get to do something."

"No," Xehanort stated. "I need you three to act as the final lines of defense for the castle. All the same, that does not mean that we can ignore this act of aggression that clearly states that the forces of light are underestimating our true power. Send the Nobodies to intercept them."

Vanitas immediately smirked beneath his mask before disappearing into a Corridor of Darkness, only to reappear in the Grey Area a little while later where Xion and Riku were currently sitting in boredom, though given how quickly the two seemed to have been scooting away from each other, Vanitas had to think that they were not feeling that bored when he came in. "Hope I didn't interrupt you two lovebirds while you were in the middle of something," Vanitas stated in a tone that was both teasing and suggesting that he really did not care if he did at the same time.

"What's going on," Xion immediately demanded in an attempt to divert the attention away from that line of conversation while lifting her hood over her head to hide the red tint on her cheeks. "Is the master finally sending us to fight?"

"Not quite," Vanitas stated. "We've got some uninvited guests heading our way and he wants us to serve as the final line of defense for the castle while sending Xemnas's little pawns to hold them back."

"But why hold us back like this when we could end it without even trying," Riku demanded. "We're obviously the strongest out of all our forces after the master, so why does he insist on holding us back like this?"

"How should I know," Vanitas scoffed. "I'm just following orders."

"That doesn't sound like you, at least not the Vanitas I had heard so much about," Riku stated in observation. "Last I checked you only carried out orders if they benefitted you or you got some kind of thrill out of it. Since when are you an obedient little servant that willingly takes orders without question?"

"Since I realized the master's real power, as you will soon if you keep talking like that," Vanitas immediately replied while giving Riku a clear warning, and from the tone of his voice, it was clear that Vanitas meant it as a warning.

"We understand," Xion immediately said as she placed a hand on Riku's arm when it seemed he was going to protest again. The three then departed from the Grey Area through Corridors of Darkness so that they could take up the defense positions that they were told that they would take in the event something like this happened, all the while never knowing that Xehanort had arrived in a secret room that no one else other than Xemnas and Ansem ever knew about.

"Everything seems to be going as you predicted, master," Xehanort reported as he actually kneeled before a figure in an extravagant version of the Organization XIII coat.

"So the Keyblade Masters of the past are coming," the figure asked in a cool, deep voice that would send shivers up an average person's spine.

"Yes, and it would seem that they brought some extra help. I've tasked Vanitas with dispatching some of our Nobodies so that only the Keybearers will enter the castle, and from there, it will only be a matter of time."

"Yes," the figure chuckled darkly. "Only a matter of time."

* * *

After everyone on the Quinjet confirmed that they were ready to finally disembark, Tony began bringing the ship down for a landing in an area where it would not be spotted, but he immediately started bringing the ship back up again when a large number of Dusks suddenly sprung up from the ground that they were about to land on. Iron Man immediately began flying the ship over the dark, twisted city as more and more Nobodies manifested beneath them, until the Nobodies who could fly suddenly appeared before them and started attacking them. Seeing that there was no way they could land their ship without beginning their counterattack immediately, Captain America immediately strapped his helmet like mask on before climbing onto a motorcycle in the back with Black Widow seating herself behind him.

As soon as he received the okay, Iron Man hit a control that dropped the two down onto the street, and they were immediately racing off to fight the Dusks that had surrounded them. A minute after Cap had jumped off the bike to toss his shield through some Dusks and Creepers while Black Widow took control of the bike, Thor, Vision, War Machine, and Falcon had opened the door on the ship and jumped out, with Falcon extending a set of grey and red wings from his back pack as soon as he was in the air, and engaged the aerial enemies with weapons blazing. Iron Man quickly brought the ship around to fire a few rounds of its own at some of the enemies both in the air and on the ground before allowing Quicksilver, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Spider-Man to join the battle as well.

As soon as he was out of the jet, Ant-Man was quick to shrink down and call for some of the ant life on the World That Never Was to come to his aid, immediately providing him with an aerial assist and an army to overwhelm the Assassin and Samurai Nobodies that were about to strike at Black Widow from behind. Wasp then flew in with her stingers charged and fired on the Dancer and Gambler Nobodies that were coming out of the woodworks to try and attack Spider-Man, allowing him to throw a few web-shots that soon had them tied down to the nearby walls. Quicksilver then raced past a group of Dragoon Nobodies and threw them off balance for a minute before calling out into his radio, "Falcon, what's your status?"

"Engaging," Falcon replied as he flew down towards the area that Quicksilver had just raced through. He then reached down to his sides and flipped a pair of pistols into his hands before firing a number of rounds on the Dragoons that Quicksilver had just disoriented, taking them out in a very effective strafing run. He was about to fly over to Captain America's position after seeing the super soldier was becoming surrounded by Samurai when he saw some Snipers flying directly towards him, prompting him to take evasive action and return fire as he cursed, "Shit."

A minute later, Iron Man set the Quinjet to autopilot and jumped out to join the fight as well, with Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch following behind him shortly after Thor had cleared an area for them with a burst of lightning from his hammer. Bruce and the Keybearers then jumped out before the jet had gotten too far away from the battlefield to land in a safe area that was a good distance away from the enemy's attention. After Scarlet Witch blasted some Sorcerers aside with a wave of her hands, the group was quickly able to gather together in the center of the world, just at the base of Memory's Skyscraper. "Well I'd hate to say I told you so," Roxas commented.

"Then don't," Terra told the blonde before summoning his Keyblade, indicating that he was more than ready to join the fight. Before he could though, he found himself cut off by Ant-Man's arm.

"You need to save your strength for the castle," the shrinking hero told him. "These guys are just the previews for you and your fellow Keyblade Wielders."

"But we're not going to be able to just walk right through them," Ven pointed out. "In case you haven't noticed, they seem to have put their biggest guys in the way of the path towards the castle."

Everyone looked to see that it was just as Ventus had said, for a number of Berserkers were blocking the path to the Brink of Despair, which they would have to get to in order to enter the Castle That Never Was. "I'll be able to get you through," Banner then said.

"How," Terra asked, honestly not seeing how Banner was going to be able to do what he said.

"Simply put, it's time for him to get angry," Black Widow replied.

 _"Well tell him to hurry up and suit up,"_ Iron Man called out over the radio frequency that the Avengers were using. _"War Machine and I are bringing the party to you."_

Everyone immediately looked up to see the two armored heroes flying towards them with a massive dragon shaped ship following behind them, which Roxas recognized as a duplicate of the dragon form Xemnas used in his final battle against him, Sora, and Kairi when they first took on Organization XIII. "Stark has very strange idea of a party," Quicksilver commented.

"Agreed," Scarlet Witch nodded as they watched Bruce start walking towards the massive monstrosity.

"You may wish to move back a short distance," Vision warned the Keybearers. "It is not normally pleasant when Bruce Banner gets angry."

"Haven't you figured it out by now that's actually the secret to controlling my abilities," Banner asked as he looked the massive beast with unwavering determination, while at the same time, Aqua noticed that his skin had begun to take on a green tint. "I'm always angry."

The Keybearers' eyes all then widened when Banner suddenly began to change into a massive, muscular monster, tearing all of his clothes other than his pants in the process, and upon seeing this sudden change occurring, they immediately moved away a bit before the massive being that they assumed was "the other guy" that Banner had mentioned slammed one of his massive fists into the dragon, causing it to immediately be thrown up on its nose like it was nothing. Iron Man then flew down to fire an arm missile at the massive beast at the exact same moment that War Machine fired numerous rounds from his wrist mounted and shoulder guns, causing the monstrosity to explode in a massive blaze of flames right above the other Avengers' heads.

Aqua was about to prepare a healing spell to cast in case any of the heroes had survived, when she and the other three saw that all the heroes were all completely unscathed. The group then gathered together in a circle, glaring up at their numerous opponents as they readied both themselves and their respective weapons for battle, while the massive being that was once Banner let out a bestial roar as Iron Man and War Machine landed amongst their teammates with Falcon, who was quickly reloading his guns, while Hawkeye notched a new arrow, Spider-Man reloaded the web shooters on his wrists, and Black Widow whipped out a pair of stun batons. Looking on at this circle of heroes, the four Keybearers could see a group that while at first glance may seem like a mismatched group of people that could never work well together, were most certainly a force unlike any other, a team that could face the battles that no one else ever could, and a group that was in a class of hero beyond anything else, much like they and all other warriors of the Keyblade were.

Wasp then looked up towards the Castle That Never Was to see that a few more copies of the same dragon ship and some more Berserkers were starting to head there way, and quickly drew everyone's attention to this by saying, "Guys, we've got company."

"Well what're we waiting for? Call it Cap," Spider-Man then casually requested.

"Alright, first thing we need to do is clear a path and safely get you four to the castle's entrance," Captain America stated as he waved his hand between the four Keybearers. "Once that's done, we'll need to keep their attention on us while keeping them from getting back into the castle or anywhere near the Quinjet so that we have a way out. Hawkeye, I need you on the roof of the skyscraper, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strafes. Stark, Rhodes, you've got the perimeter. Anything tries to get near the Brink of Despair or so much as moves towards the ship you turn it back or turn it to ash."

"One of you mind giving me a lift," Hawkeye asked.

"Not a problem, Barton," War Machine replied as he blasted into the air with Tony, the archer firmly in hand.

"Thor, Scarlet Witch, you're going to need to try and bottle neck that entry point that they're coming from and slow them down," Captain America continued. "Quicksilver, Spider-Man, and Falcon, you're going to lead Aqua, Terra, Ventus, and Roxas to the castle's entrance. Make sure you don't give them any reason to fight as well so that they can save their strength for their real battles. Once you three are done, you're to either join Stark and Rhodes in covering the perimeter or the rest of us in keeping up the fight here. And Hulk." When the green giant turned to look towards the captain, Steve just pointed towards the Berserkers blocking the path and said, "Smash."

Hulk just smirked in reply and then leapt directly at the large Nobodies with a loud roar, destroying them instantly when he landed on top of them. That was all the prompting anyone needed to proceed with their respective parts of each side's plans, as Quicksilver immediately ran ahead of his group while Falcon and Spider-Man followed behind him as fast as they could, with Roxas, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus right behind them. As they ran through the chaos, they noticed that there was a few times when Iron Man, War Machine, Vision, or even Hawkeye had to spare a few shots that saved their lives by the skin of their teeth, and it was not hard to spot each of the other Avengers as they continued fighting in ways that none of them would have ever believed possible. Soon enough though, they saw that Hulk had cleared a path with a little assistance from Thor and Quicksilver, prompting Falcon to break off and join in with fighting the enemies in the air and keeping the perimeter secure while Spider-Man swung back to the others who were at the center of the fight as the four Keybearers raced through to the light path that led from the Brink of Despair to the entrance of the Castle That Never Was. The four only glanced back for a minute to be sure that the Avengers would be alright, and they had to laugh a little when they saw that after they had both paused to catch their breath, Hulk had hit Thor in the side without even glancing at the blonde, and had given them a smile and a small wave in good luck.

When Captain America saw that the four had made it to the castle entrance, he immediately called for anyone who was available to focus on keeping the perimeter secure while making sure the enemy's focus was on them. Spider-Man then landed next to Cap after dismounting from a web swing and asked, "You sure they'll be okay, or that we'll make it through this?"

"In answer to the latter, we've dealt with worse before, son, and we'll do so again," Captain America replied as he tossed his shield through some Samurais, and then watched as Thor slammed his hammer into the metal disk, sending it flying through some Snipers before it finally returned to his hand just in time for him to spin around and use it to slam it into more dusks. "As for the former, they'll have to be. They're our best hope. Now get your head back into the game."

Spider-Man nodded in reply, and immediately formed a web-slingshot to go flying through some Gamblers and Sorcerers as the captain raised his shield above his head and shouted, "Avengers, assemble!"

That battle cry was the heroes' cue to turn their fighting up to the next level, as they were quick to unleash hell on the Nobodies that were attacking, leaving one to think that it would be nothing short of miraculous if any of the Nobodies that were fighting in this battle would survive to fight another day.

* * *

"You're kidding me," Terra exclaimed as the group raced through the area of the castle that was known as Nothing's Call. "You mean after all that, things still didn't change?"

"I know, I don't get it either," Roxas replied in response to Terra's shock at the story he was just telling them. "And to think that Naminé and I went to so much trouble helping Kairi."

"You don't seem too surprised it turned out the way it did," Aqua noted.

"Well to be perfectly honest, at this point nothing would surprise me when it comes to Sora's cluelessness about the fact that Kairi shares his feelings," Roxas informed the blunette.

After hearing the story of how Naminé and Roxas had helped Kairi to try and send Sora a subtle hint on her feelings for him, Ventus was honestly surprised himself that the plan they had just heard about did not work, but he was even more surprised at Roxas's most recent comment on the matter. "You mean that he's that bad," Ven asked his fellow blonde.

"Let me put it to you this way," Roxas replied. "The only thing that would surprise me on the matter at this point would be if Kairi stripped naked in front of Sora and the boy was still clueless on the matter."

All three Keyblade Wielders of the past found their eyes widening at hearing that comment, before they found themselves unsure on whether they should laugh at the remark or be a bit disturbed by it, as the thought of Kairi doing such a thing as Roxas had suggested was actually a very scary thought since it was just so out of character for her to even consider doing anything of the sort. They were immediately brought out of their musings when they heard a humorless laugh fill the halls around them and a voice call out, "Sounds like you're really enjoying yourself with your new _best friends_ , traitor. I guess we're more replaceable to you than I ever realized."

Ventus then looked to see that Roxas had frozen where he was standing, as the Nobody had immediately recognized that particular voice. A minute later, the person said voice belonged to emerged from a Corridor of Darkness and lowered the hood of their black coat to reveal Xion standing before them with a very pissed off look on her face as she glared at Roxas. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus had frozen in place for a minute after seeing how much the girl blocking their path looked like Kairi, but they were quick to shake themselves back to the situation at hand and summon their Keyblades, only to find that Roxas had not done the same. The strange thing was that the girl in front of them had not drawn a weapon either, but instead just continued glaring at Roxas as if she were trying to kill him with a look as a tense silence developed between them.

Eventually, Roxas broke the silence by taking a step forward and pleading, "Please Xion, don't get in our way now. I know that you can see just how messed up things are. Can you really tell me that you're actually happy with things they way they are right now?"

"Of course I'm not," Xion snapped. "And you know why? Because my best friend turned his back on the Organization, on me, and left me to fend for myself! Even Axel wasn't always able to do something to help me whenever Saїx or the master found something with my performance to be less than perfect, and every time they did, it was always in comparison to you! There was just no way I could ever be anything that could measure up to the great Key of Destiny, and whenever I thought of going to you for comfort, I had to remember that you weren't there anymore because you had betrayed us and left me to suffer!"

Xion's words cut deep into Roxas's heart, but as she continued to rant, Roxas could see her eyes were not only beginning to gain a few tears but were also changing from their usual, pretty blue to sickly, yellow-gold that was reminiscent of Xehanort's. "I never meant to hurt you, Xion," Roxas replied. "Believe me, every time I went out to fight, one of my first thoughts was always on how I could save you and Axel from the Organization's clutches. I never betrayed you guys, and you never stopped being my best friends either."

"JUST SHUT UP," Xion shouted as she summoned her Keyblade, which Roxas noticed was now more sword-like with a curved, notched blade, and a noticeably sharp edge. A set of Nobody thorns made up the teeth and guard while the color scheme was silver and black, clearly indicating that it was like a fusion of the color schemes of the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades, and it did not take long for Roxas to recognize that the token was in the form of his Nobody-thorn charm. "I'm not listening to anymore of your lies! If you want to pass through here, then you'll have to defeat me and my Two Become One Keyblade first, and the only way you'll do that is if you're able to do the one thing that you claim to never be able to do to a friend. You understand me, you damn traitor? You're going to have to kill me!"

Roxas's eyes widened in horror at the words that Xion was saying, feeling a terrible pain forming in his heart in the place where Xion's friendship was, but when he looked at Xion's eyes, he saw neither the pretty blue that were normally there, nor the sickly, yellow-gold of Xehanort's, but a clear, empty silver that almost radiated with an evil like he had never felt before. The feeling was shared amongst Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, but the three were quick to shake it off as they prepared to charge forward and meet Xion's challenge head on. Just as they were about to charge though, Roxas raised his arms up to stop them and quietly said, "Stay out of this guys."

"Roxas," Terra asked in confusion.

"You're not actually going to fight her are you," Ventus asked, silently pleading with his fellow blonde at the same time to not do so.

"Roxas, she's your friend," Aqua tried to reason. "You can't fight her, especially in a fight like that. Just let us handle things and…"

"No, I can't let you do that. This has been a long time coming now. I guess deep down inside, I always knew it would come to this if I wanted to save Xion, but I didn't want to believe it, nor could I. At least, not until now," Roxas snapped to Aqua as he stepped up to face Xion. Seeing how serious he was about the matter, the three could only nod sadly before stepping back and dismissing their Keyblades, leaving the matter to Roxas as he requested.

"Alright Xion," Roxas then said as he settled his gaze on the girl before him. "If you want to fight me so badly, then you've got it, but no matter what happens, I'm not going to kill you, because I will save you. No matter what it takes, I'm getting my best friend…no, I'm getting my sister back!"

As he said those last few words, Roxas swung his hands to either side, and summoned forth both the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades, then spun them around above his head before bringing them down into a ready position as he assumed his battle stance. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus were immediately shocked at the sight of Roxas being able to wield two Keyblades without the use of a Drive Form like Sora and Kairi, but they were quick to shake their surprise off so that they could move clear of the battle as the two combatants charged at each other.

Roxas made the first strike, slashing the Oathkeeper Keyblade at Xion's, knocking her black and white weapon aside for a minute so that he could bring Oblivion down to strike, but Xion was quick to regain her balance and then spin around so that she could raise her Keyblade into a defensive position just in time to block the incoming blade. Roxas continued to push down on Xion's Keyblade before Xion finally pushed back and unleashed a series of two-handed strikes on the Dual Keyblade Wielder, prompting Roxas to quickly raise each of his blades to block Xion's strikes with one or the other before they could get close, much to Xion's irritation. The girl then leapt back before firing a blast of ice magic at Roxas, which he quickly rolled away from. Sadly, Roxas was unable to stop Xion from landing a powerful slash on him with Two Become One, and was thus sent flying across the room as a result.

Roxas quickly jumped to his feet once again before twirling his Keyblades and releasing a whirlwind of light and dark magic with a powerful, dual-outward slash. The attack hit Xion head on, but the girl was able to recover just in time to unleash a series of Nobody Thorns from her Keyblade directly at Roxas. Roxas was somehow able to evade the storm of thorns, and then elected to throw his Keyblades like buzz saws a number of times before firing off a blast of light magic that drew Xion in close, allowing him to wildly swing both Keyblades at Xion left and right and then dash straight ahead with another powerful, dual-outward strike, leaving a shockwave that threw Xion into the air in the process.

Xion was quick to right herself before leaping directly at Roxas and using the Sonic Rave ability that Roxas had seen Sora use on many occasions in the past to strike at Roxas multiple times, throwing Roxas off balance long enough for her to slam her foot into his back in a hard kick after coming out of the final dash. Roxas quickly scrambled to his feet again before he cringed and said, "Would you watch it with those things? I swear, those high heels of yours might as well be registered as lethal weapons."

"Less talking, and more fighting," Xion snapped in response, clearly not interested in anything Roxas had to say, even if it was a small exchange of banter during the fight. Before Roxas could respond, Xion had already dashed towards him again and used another powerful ability of Sora's which sent Roxas flying across the room once more until he landed on his back.

Seeing this, Terra felt he could no longer sit on the sidelines and started to charge in, but before he could get any further than three steps, a red and silver Chakram suddenly struck the ground in front of his feet, cutting him off. He then turned to the where the weapon had came from with Aqua and Ventus to find none other than Axel standing there with a surprisingly serious look on his face as he waved a finger saying, "I'd stay back if I were you. This battle is one that only they can fight and them alone. Got it memorized?"

When he heard that particular catchphrase, Ventus's eyes widened in surprise as he whispered, "Lea?"

"No, but you're close," Axel clarified. "The name's Axel. That's A-X-E-L. Get it memorized, Ven."

Ventus was about to question the redhead on how he had become a Nobody and why he was there, but the sound of Keyblades clashing against one another immediately drew everyone's attention back to the battle at hand, just in time to see Roxas had knocked Xion's Keyblade out of her hand and now had it pinned to the ground with one of his Keyblades while the other was pointed at Xion. "It's over Xion," Roxas stated with great finality.

Xion only scowled at Roxas before reaching a hand out and causing her Keyblade to vanish from where it was much to Roxas's surprise. The Keyblade then reappeared in Xion's hand, and she used the weapon to land a powerful slash on Roxas that nearly brought him down to his knees. However, Roxas refused to give in, as he stood up once again and asked, "Is that all you got, Xion?"

"Stop calling me that," Xion snarled as she slashed at Roxas once more, causing him to stumble and lose his grip on the Oblivion Keyblade when he used it to try and block. Xion then continued her assault as Roxas tried his best to defend with the Oathkeeper, but Xion was moving too fast for him to keep up until they finally locked blades again, pushing against one and other in an attempt to overpower the other.

"Xion is your name," Roxas persisted as he continued to push his Keyblade against the girl's. "When we first met, you were introduced as Number XIV of Organization XIII. I was also the first person you ever said anything to and who you showed your face to. Your favorite ice cream flavor is Sea-Salt, which I introduced you to after Axel introduced it to me."

"SHUT UP," Xion shouted as early signs of tears began to form in her eyes. "I am _not_ that weak, pathetic puppet! I'm me and no one else! You can't trick me like that!"

Xion then finally won out in their contest of strength as she pushed back on Roxas's Keyblade enough to cause him to lose his grip on the blade and be sent off his feet once again. Xion was immediately holding the tip of her Keyblade at Roxas's neck as soon as he landed on his back, panting heavily as she let a small, victorious smirk grace her now darkened features, but the smirk immediately vanished when she saw that Roxas was still looking up at her defiantly, almost as though he was now fighting her with his eyes. The sight of this angered Xion enough that she raised her Keyblade to strike Roxas with a killing blow, but just as she was bringing it down, she seemed to freeze in place before she started shaking, almost as if she were struggling against herself, an idea that gained further merit when Roxas noticed her eyes were changing color once again, but this time between the clear, empty silver they had gained, and her normal, pretty blue color.

Seeing this immediately told Roxas what was going on, and he opted to give one last push in order to free his friend from whatever was clearly controlling her and said, "You were one of my first friends, and my first best friends, but you're more than that to me now. You're more than just my best friend. You're my sister."

"Shut up," Xion shouted, almost as though attempting to defy everything Roxas said would allow her to stay standing and keep her Keyblade poised to strike him down. "I'm not any of that, and you…you're a traitor. You're my mission."

"Then do it," Roxas then said, causing the girl to freeze in her tracks, eyes wide. "Go on and finish it. It won't matter to me, because no matter what happens, I'm with you until the end."

Xion continued to stare at Roxas in wide-eyed shock until she closed her eyes and raised her Keyblade once again, and screamed in anguish as she brought it down, a resounding clang echoing throughout the castle reaching everyone's ears the minute she did. Upon looking up, Roxas could see that Xion had impaled her Keyblade a few inches away from his face, intentionally missing him, and he then rose up into a sitting position just in time to see the girl wobble on her feet for a minute as she stepped back a little before finally falling to her knees and openly sobbing. Roxas slowly stood up and made his way over to Xion until he was able to place a hand on one of her shoulders and softly call out to her, leading her to look up at him with eyes that were truly hers.

"R-Roxas," Xion slowly asked, almost as if she was unsure of her surroundings.

"Yeah Xion," Roxas smiled softly. "It's me. It's over now, and you're safe, just like I promised you would be."

Xion merely nodded meekly in response to this before throwing herself into Roxas's chest and sobbing into his shirt, letting out a muffled apology over and over again as Roxas wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug, letting her know that everything would be okay now, and that the world had not ended. He then looked up to see the others approaching them, and immediately raised a curious eyebrow in Axel's direction, immediately asking the question that the redhead still needed to answer.

"What? Did you seriously think I was really going to be okay with the Organization using my best friends or hunting them down like animals or something," Axel chuckled in response to his friend's look. "Come on, Roxas. You know me better than that, especially after all the time you spent hanging out with Lea."

"What? I don't get it," Roxas said, now even more confused than before.

"Hello, I'm on your side," Axel finally revealed, saying it like it was the most obvious thing in all the worlds as he did. "I've been working as a deep-cover double agent for Yen Sid and the king ever since you left and I found out about what they were going to do to Xion. I had to be really careful though since even the slightest slip up would've given me away and given Xemnas reason to turn me into a Dusk."

Roxas just looked on at his friend in disbelief before he finally smiled in thanks and then helped Xion to her feet as she wiped her eyes of any remaining tears. The group of friends from the past had to let out a collective smile at seeing the three friends finally reunite, and they could instantly feel a rise in their hopes that everything would turn out okay as they looked on at the three talking and laughing together, and even comforting one another like they had never been apart. That feeling of happiness immediately evaporated when Axel was suddenly hit by a blast of dark magic that sent him colliding into the wall.

"Well why am I not surprised," a smug voice asked, and everyone immediately turned to see Riku walking into the room, clad in his black and purple outfit that was so much like the one Vanitas wore. "I come down here to make sure that my girlfriend is alright, and what do I find instead? A bunch of traitors and some relics that should've stayed in their own time."

Aqua and Terra were quick to recognize Riku from when they had met him before, but they still developed scowls like the rest of their group after they heard him speak. Roxas was the only one of them to look at Riku in confusion before he glanced at Xion and then widened his eyes in shock after piecing together what Riku was implying, "Wait, Xion. You're going out with _this_ guy?"

Xion immediately adopted a sheepish expression as she rubbed the back of her head with one hand and said, "What? He's cute in a dark, brooding sort of way. Plus once you get past his attitude, the power of darkness that's controlling him, and all the other bad things, he's really not a bad guy."

"Oh my god," Roxas moaned. "I finally get my sister back and already I find out she's going out with guys that I don't approve of for a multitude of reasons. One of those being the fact that I just can't stand the guy."

"Hey! You have no say in who I do or don't date, Mister," Xion lightly reprimanded. "Besides, you just don't like him because you can't get over the fact that you could never beat him in a sparring match."

"Not true," Roxas huffed indignantly. "He's also a total asshole."

"If you two are done, I'd like to get on with this so that I can get my girlfriend back to her senses and actually get in on the real action," Riku loudly interrupted.

Roxas was about to shout out something in retort when Terra suddenly stepped in between him and Riku, and summoned Ends of the Earth to his hand. "If you want to fight someone then take me on," Terra practically commanded.

"Terra, what're you doing," Roxas asked.

"Look at his eyes," Terra stated. "They're just like Xion's were when you guys were fighting, and that means he's being controlled by the same thing that was controlling her."

Everyone looked to see that Terra was right, as Riku's eyes were indeed the same shade of clear silver that Xion's had been just a moment ago. As Aqua slowly began to make her way over to Axel in order to heal the redhead, Ventus took the time to ask, "So if we can snap him out of it if we beat him right?"

"Something like that," Terra replied. "But you need to leave this fight to me. I'm the one who passed the power of the Keyblade to Riku, so in a way, that makes him my responsibility."

Ventus was about to protest against this, but Roxas stopped him with a quick look that told him not to, which was immediately followed by Aqua saying, "Do what you have to do, Terra. We'll do what we can to heal Axel and then help out if you need it, but until then, we'll let you handle it on your own."

Terra smiled to both his friends when he saw Ven finally nod in defeat and immediately thanked them as Ven and Roxas helped guide Xion away from the area so that he could focus solely on Riku. The two simply stood across from one another, analyzing their respective opponent and how they appeared to fight based on their current stances, and never saying so much as a word to each other. Roxas honestly felt like he were watching someone prepare to start a duel with a Samurai Nobody until Terra finally broke the silence in an attempt to try and appeal to the real Riku that was buried deep in the darkness that now poisoned the boy's heart. "I don't know if you remember me, but we met a long time ago on Destiny Islands," Terra told Riku. "You told me that day that if you ever acquired the kind of power that would allow you to travel to other worlds, you would use it to protect the things that matter, like your friends. Do you really think that what you're doing still follows that vow?"

"Man, how much more of relic can you be," Riku asked in an arrogant tone as he threw in a dark chuckle just for good measure. "I am using my power to protect what matters. You're all just too stupid and close-minded to even attempt to see it. Once we're done here, nothing will matter, because everything will be right with all the worlds."

"Then explain how that is if you're fighting those friends you swore to protect," Terra then demanded. "Don't you realize that's what you've been doing, or have you forgotten all about Sora and Kairi? They're trying everything they can to get you back, and yet all you're doing is constantly putting them in danger."

"What…but I…no, I'm…" Riku gasped, and he then placed a hand on his head for a minute as he groaned in pain. It seemed for a moment that Terra's words were reaching Riku, but that belief quickly vanished when a strange energy seemed to flash throughout Riku's body for a minute, ending his sudden headache as he looked up and confidently said, "That's an impressive attempt at deception, but I know better than to fall for your ancient tricks, relic. I'm doing everything I can to ensure Sora and Kairi do have a future, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen, even if I have to destroy you to do it."

Riku's declaration truly confused everyone, even Axel and Xion, as they had no idea what Riku meant by that since this was the first either of them had heard of such a thing. Whatever the reason he said that was though did not matter as Riku had immediately assumed his battle stance once more as the power of darkness surged around him. Terra could see quite clearly that there was not going to be any hope of getting through to Riku as long as the boy was in the state he was currently in, and in that moment, he had to wonder if this was how Master Eraqus had felt when Terra had tried to fight against him. It was not something that Terra had long to think about though, as Riku had suddenly appeared behind in a flash of speed that one could not have been able to track if they had blinked, and Terra immediately jumped away before firing off a Ragnarok Shot Lock at Riku, which the silver haired boy easily deflected with his Keyblade.

"If you're done wasting time, it's time to see who the real master of darkness truly is. You or me," Riku then declared as he let the darkness flow through him without end, emitting an energy that seemed almost suffocating to those around him. Terra was very tempted to meet Riku's challenge by unleashing his Dark Impulse Command Style, but he knew that doing so would be a mistake, so he simply readied his Keyblade and charge in, unleashing a series of powerful attacks on Riku.

Riku was quick to evade Terra's powerful strikes, and if he could not evade them, he was just as quick to deflect or parry them before striking back at Terra at a speed that Terra just could not keep up with. Riku then back flipped away from Terra and used his Dark Aura ability to rush past Terra several times in a stream of dark energy as he struck the older Keyblade Wielder, before he finally appeared above Terra and struck with a powerful, downwards slash that unleashed a shockwave which sent Terra flying. Terra was honestly surprised that he was even able to stand up after that last attack, but he was not going to quit just yet, as evidenced by the fact that he was able to stand up again after using his Keyblade for support.

Of course, the course of action that Terra was taking was easier said than done, as it was quite clear that Riku's dark powers were far greater than anything that Terra had ever faced before. Terra was not sure if this was due to the fact that the world they were currently on was so close to the Realm of Darkness or if there was some other reason that he did not know about, but all he did know was that there was not much of a chance of being able to fight the darkness out of Riku with the way things were going at the moment. He was quickly back on the defensive again when Riku unleashed a series of blasts with his Dark Cannon, but his defense did not hold for long, and he was soon down on his knees, struggling to stand up once again.

"Is that really all you've got," Riku asked in mock disappointment. "I had thought that the mighty Master Terra, the first to have supposedly gained mastery over the power of darkness without being corrupted by it would've been a much better opponent than this. Guess I overestimated you if it's taking this much just for you to call out your dark powers."

"You're wrong," Terra rebuked. "No matter what you say or what you do, I will not use the darkness to fight you, or any battle like this."

"Humph. Pathetic," Riku scoffed in annoyance, and he then fired off another volley of his Dark Cannon, only for it to strike the barrier of a Reflect spell, much to the shock of both boys.

"Terra, now's your chance," Roxas called out, causing Terra to turn around and see that Ven had cast the Reflect spell that saved him just minutes ago, and that Roxas was now on his feet trying to tell him something. "You have a way to get rid of most of his darkness."

"What're you talking about," Terra asked, truly confused and just barely able to focus on the topic that much due to the fact that Riku was still pounding away at the Reflect spells that Ven kept casting with his Dark Cannon.

"You'll see as soon as you start doing it," Roxas replied. "But you need to act fast. Use the Summon Charm!"

Terra's eyes instantly widened in realization of what Roxas was talking about, and he quickly pulled said charm out of his pocket and began focusing the light magic within him into the charm, just as Roxas had told him and the others to if they wished to use them. A minute later, the charm seemed to jump in his hand before firing off a stream of magic that knocked Riku back, causing him to cease in his assault on Terra, and allowing Ven to finally catch his breath after casting so many reflect spells. Blasts of magic continued to stream out of the charm at random, leading Roxas and the others to take cover in case any of the blasts started to come close to where they were, until a large cloud of blue smoke erupted upward, and a large blue figure emerged from the charm.

"Oi," the figure exclaimed. "Traveling millions of miles across the cosmos will leave ya seriously stiff in the joints. Hang on for just a quick sec."

Much to Terra's shock, he and Riku were both lifted up by the backs of their shirts and left to hang in mid-air while the large blue man rotated his head and arms around in perfect circles before shouting, "Whoa does it feel good to get back out here where the real action is! Let me tell ya, I haven't had all that much fun since Al got his big, snazzy Keyblade, but hey with something like that, I don't blame him for not really needing his old big blue buddy around all that much anymore." The figure then looked at Terra and said, "Say, you don't look anything like Sora, Kairi, or Roxas, either that or you're one of the two boys all grown up now and I've been out of this action longer than I thought."

"Uh…I'm not either Sora or Roxas," Terra finally cut in. "My name's Terra."

"Terra, huh? Well good to meet you Terra. You know, you strike me as a real down to Earth kind of guy," the blue man then joked in response. "But that being said, I am the all-powerful, uncontainable, amazing Genie of the Lamp! Not so much on the lamp part now seeing as I'm a free genie of course thanks in no small part to my buddies Al and Sora, and now, since you summoned me, I'll be able to grant you any wish your heart desires so long as it falls within my cosmic powers and the basic genie rules, same as I always do for Sora and his buddies."

"Okay, so what're the rules," Terra asked, wanting to make sure that he fully understood everything about his sudden partner before making any hasty decisions, and only mildly noting that Riku had been frozen in place with a well-timed Blizzard spell from Aqua.

"Rule Number One: I can't kill anybody, so don't ask" Genie stated as he made a slicing motion in front of his neck that ended up causing his head to fall into his hand, and still be able to talk despite that. "Rule Number Two: I can't make anybody fall in love with anybody else."

"Guess that would explain why neither Sora nor Kairi have ever asked you to help with their little relationship," Terra mused.

"Well actually, Roxas did ask me to help once, and since they are both already in love with each other, it doesn't really count. I was honestly surprised that the little wish he wished up didn't work to be honest," Genie stated, leading Terra to wonder just how far Roxas and his friends had gone in their attempts to finally get Sora and Kairi together. "Rule Number Three," Genie then declared as he started to turn into a zombie version of himself. "I can't bring people back from the dead. It's not a pretty sight. I DON'T LIKE DOING IT!" Genie then reverted to his normal self before finishing, "Other than that, feel free to wish away, my young friend."

Terra adopted his usual thinking pose before smirking a little and asking, "Could you remove the darkness that's poisoning Riku's heart if I asked you to?"

Genie looked towards said silver haired boy and began to fly and poof around him as he seemingly examined the boy with a fine toothpick, until he eventually looked back and said, "Well it might be a bit of a taxing job, but I can definitely give it my best shot. First things first though; say the magic words."

Terra smirked, having just heard what he needed to hear and thus declared, "Genie, I wish for you to remove as much of the darkness poisoning Riku as you can."

"Your wish is my command. ALAKAZAM," Genie replied as he spun his hands around and fired a beam at Riku. A minute after the beam struck, Riku had started screaming in agony as a tornado of magic energy erupted around him. The tornado seemed to grow larger and larger as it siphoned out the excess darkness inside of Riku faster and faster until finally, the dark energy was blasted out into the air and tornado vanished. Terra and the others all looked eagerly in Riku's direction, thinking that Riku was finally free, but their mood quickly changed when they saw that Riku was still wearing his darkness battle suit as he struggled to his feet. They were all beginning to think that Terra's wish was not successful, until Terra saw Riku's eyes changing from the clear silver that they had all seen earlier to their usual blue-green.

"What happened," Xion finally asked. "I thought that would've set Riku free."

"I'm sorry kid," Genie apologized. "But that's the best I could do, but don't worry, he's not as strong as he was before."

"Are you sure about that," Terra asked as he readied his Keyblade while watching Riku slowly stand up.

Genie immediately did another quick survey of Riku like the one he previously did before he finally reported, "Yep. I'd say he's down to about a full quarter of what he was before at most, if not less. You should be able to knock the rest right out of him now."

"Wait, aren't you going to help," Terra asked.

"I wish I could, but that little brilliance of magic has completely worn out all the energy that's needed for me to stick around. Sorry, but I've gotta make like a banana and split, so see ya round Terra," Genie said, and he then disappeared in a small explosion of blue smoke, leaving Terra to face Riku on his own once again, but this time with a fighting chance.

When Riku finally regained his footing, it was clear to everyone that he was struggling with himself more than he was before, and that was all the advantage Terra needed before he charged in and struck with a series of powerful blows, allowing him to unleash his Critical Impact Command Style. Riku was of course shocked by how quickly he was knocked back before Terra had even attempted to activate the Command Style, but he was quick to shake it off and stay true to his nature by showing he was not going to go down without a fight, and thus charged right back in, firing a Dark Cannon as he went.

The minute he deflected the first blast from Riku's Dark Cannon barrage, Terra instantly saw that Genie was correct in saying that the younger boy's dark powers were much weaker than they were before, as Terra was able to deflect the blasts with very little effort. Terra then charged forward and unleashed a series of strikes with his active Command Style that knocked Riku around like a rag doll until the boy was a bit stunned by one of Terra's blows. Terra took advantage of Riku's dazed state in order to cast a Mine Square spell around him that exploded right under Riku's feet almost instantly after it formed, and immediately after, the glow around Terra changed to bright brown, and brought about an illusion of rock particles being emitted from his body.

"Whoa," Roxas exclaimed. "That doesn't look like that Dark Impulse Command Style I heard about."

"It's not," Ventus replied with a grin. "It's Terra's second Tier Two Command Style: Rockbreaker."

A minute later, Terra charged forward and unleashed a series of powerful strikes as he dragged his Keyblade through the ground, causing a number of boulders to be sent flying into Riku every time Terra attacked along with his normal strikes. Riku did his best to either counter or block Terra's strikes and the boulders, but he soon found himself unable to block one without being hit by the other, and any attempts to block both were met with futility. Riku found himself unable to dodge any of Terra's attacks with the Rockbreaker Command Style as well for the same reason as his inability to block the normal attacks, and he soon found himself getting frustrated enough to attempt another strike with his Dark Aura. Unfortunately, Riku soon discovered he was not able to build up the dark energy necessary for his ultimate attack as quickly as usual, and he was thus unable to protect himself when Terra suddenly leapt into the air to unleash the final attack of their battle.

"Command Style: Rockbreaker Finisher," Terra shouted, and a minute later, three massive boulders were suddenly pulled up from the ground into a floating position around him, and with a single, circular swing of his Keyblade, Terra sent all the rocks flying outwards in multiple directions, most of them being focused directly on Riku. Since Riku was still trying to build up the energy for his Dark Aura attack, he was left wide open to Terra's strike, and was immediately faced with the full force of Terra's attack. As the glow of Terra's Command Style wore off, everyone watched in amazement as Riku's dark battle suit vanished in a sudden wave of shadows and was replaced by a sleeveless, black zip-up tank-top, a white and yellow vest, a thick, white band on one wrist, baggy blue pants that were held up by a black belt, and white sneakers.

Seeing Riku's sudden change in appearance immediately had everyone worried, but no one was faster to reach the boy than Xion, as the worry for him was clear in her eyes. After Xion gave Riku a few shakes, the long, silver haired boy finally began to stir and looked up to greet Xion's eyes with his blue-green ones. Before anyone could say anything else, Riku surprised everyone by leaning up and capturing Xion's lips in a powerful kiss, shocking the girl completely before she returned it in kind.

"Ahem," Roxas coughed loudly, clearly annoyed by the two so blatantly displaying their affections in front of them. "Do you guys think that you can wait a bit before doing that?"

Xion and Riku parted from each other with a small smile being exchanged between them before Riku said, "Oh go make out with Naminé, killjoy."

"Yeah, he's okay," Roxas then determined before looking away as Terra held a hand out to help Riku up, a hand that Riku gladly accepted.

"Hey listen, sorry about that whole relic thing earlier," Riku apologized to Terra. "To be honest, you're actually a big inspiration for me, so I don't know where that even came from." He then looked to the others as he added, "I also want to apologize for everything I did. I know it may not mean much considering what I did, and I most likely don't deserve forgiveness from anyone, but I honestly did want to stop it from happening. I tried so hard to stop, but I couldn't. It felt like I was watching a movie that I was starring in while I was trapped in my own body."

"Hey, you're not going to start going all emo on us now, are you," Axel then joked, cutting Riku off from any further self-hate.

"He'd better not," Xion stated with a slight warning look in Riku's direction. "It would be completely unattractive on him."

"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick," Roxas moaned, leading Ventus to snicker at the other blonde's expense.

"All that happened because you had been overwhelmed by the power of darkness," Terra assured Riku. "And because someone had poisoned your heart with so much of it. You shouldn't blame yourself for something that was beyond your control, because now you can start making things right again with your own power."

Riku gave a small smile in thanks to the older boy before receiving an encouraging nod from everyone else in the group as well, even Roxas after Xion had elbowed him in the gut. With all that now dealt with Aqua then said, "We should hurry and get back to finding that Time Window now. There's no telling what Xehanort will send after us once he finds out that both Riku and Xion are free of his control."

Riku quickly adopted a pensive expression before saying, "Wait a minute. A lot of things that happened are a bit fuzzy in some regards, but one thing that I do remember clearly was that it wasn't Xehanort controlling me. He only made it seem like that as a show for everyone else, but it was never him controlling me or Xion."

"Well if it wasn't old baldy, then who was controlling you guys," Axel then asked.

"I…I can't remember," Riku said as he struggled to do so. "I don't know why, but all the memories of the person's face are a complete blank, while all the others of him while he had his hood up are still crystal clear, but the sound of his voice is fuzzy."

"Xion, can you remember anything about this," Aqua then asked, hoping that the younger girl might have a clue as to the mystery person's identity.

Xion scrunched her face in thought for a minute before sadly shaking her head as she replied, "No. My memories of those things are the same as Riku's, but there is one thing I do remember. He was powerful; very powerful. I could remember feeling like I was being crushed and suffocated all at once whenever I was just standing near him, and when he spoke, his voice was even more emotionless than Xemnas's ever was, while somehow being filled with a cold emotion that I could never place, if that even makes sense. If I had to make a comparison, I'd have to say that he was probably more powerful than Xehanort could ever dream of being."

That answer immediately froze everyone in cold shock. The thought of someone that was stronger than Xehanort alone was scary by itself, but with everything Xion had just said to describe the person that was controlling her and Riku, it honestly made them believe that there was a very strong chance that it was very true, very real, and would likely prove to be the most dangerous being any of them had ever faced. Even though they did not want to think about this person for long, they were all quickly searching their memories for someone who could likely fit the bill, only to come up short with every idea they came up with.

Eventually, Aqua shook herself out of her worry and told everyone, "We shouldn't focus on that at the moment, especially given where we are at the moment. Right now, we need to get to that Time Window and get me, Terra, and Ven home so that we can help Sora and Kairi prevent this future from ever happening. If we can do that, then it won't even matter who this mystery boss behind the scenes is because he will likely have ceased to exist along with this timeline."

"She's right," Riku immediately said. "And we need to hurry, but we'll also have to be ready for anything. Vanitas was already waiting for us at the Hall of Empty Melodies in case Xion and I failed to stop you guys, assuming that's what they really want to happen, but I have no idea who to expect after that."

Everyone immediately nodded in reply to Riku, and then began racing through the Castle That Never Was once again. The thoughts of the mysterious individual that was controlling Riku and Xion still plagued their minds, but at the moment, they were able to keep most of their focus on the task ahead of them. What none of them could have known was that same mysterious figure was watching their progress from his own private chambers with mild, dark glee, almost eagerly awaiting the moment when he finally came face-to-face with the Keybearers that had come to his stronghold.

"Not to worry, you will all know exactly what you are up against soon enough," the figure chuckled darkly. "It is only a matter of time now, but soon, such a thing will not ever be in your favor again. I look forward to our encounter and the moment when all hope leaves each of your eyes…my old friends."

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 11:**

 **A most surprising development came about on a day when Sora and the others were all away on missions, for it was on that day that I received an unexpected visitor with an even more unexpected request. Number VIII of Organization XIII, Axel had actually approached me saying that he wished to change allegiances and join us. Were it a true Nobody, or even a Nobody of anyone else, I would not be so skeptical about his reasons and likely less suspicious, but given that this is the Nobody of Lea, and the fact that he seems to share many of the same mannerisms as the wielder of Bond by Flame, if what Roxas has told us of his time with the Organization is any indication, then I do not think I was mistaken in accepting his help.**

 **It was not long before we began to see the fruits of having Axel working for us as a spy in the Organization, for it was thanks to him that we discovered a way into the World That Never Was through the virtual Twilight Town that Ansem had created in the event that we failed to convince Roxas to join us and help revive Sora, and it was also thanks to his aid that Sora and the others were able to successfully make it through the Castle That Never Was so that they could have that first confrontation with Xemnas that would end Xemnas's plans. Truly we had gained a great ally within the forces of darkness, and one who joined us for all the right reasons, just as his best friend, Roxas had.**

 **I only wish that all the events of that day were as fortunate, but sadly they were not, for it was also on that day that we lost Ansem. The man had tried to thwart Organization XIII's plans to use the hearts they had captured in order to form a doorway to Kingdom Hearts by digitizing the hearts with a machine he had created, but sadly, it seemed that Ansem had once again underestimated the true power and value of hearts, and as such was lost to us in a brilliant explosion that resulted from his machine seemingly overloading. We cannot say for certain what had happened to our friend, but I was told that before he met this terrible fate, he had actually laughed at his foolishness, saying that he finally realized how much of a fool he was to ever think he could truly comprehend the true power of hearts. Wherever you are now Ansem, I only hope that you have found the answers you once sought, and that we may one day be reunited once again.**

* * *

 ** _AN: Well, that happened. We saw the return of the Yen Sid Reports with this chapter, the Avengers of this story got to show off their mad skills, Xion and Riku are back on the good guy side, and now there's some crazy, mystery figure pulling the strings behind the scenes that no one ever knew about except for Riku and Xion, who can't remember who it is anymore. Yeah, I know that the mysterious figure who is the real leader of the bad guys thing has been done in Kingdom Hearts before, but I just couldn't find a way for this story to work without it happening._**

 ** _Hades: But who is this guy? I mean, come on, you gotta give us something to work with besides that bit of dialogue he had._**

 ** _Xemnas: I am surprisingly curious on the matter as well, or at least as close to that as I can be._**

 ** _Xehanort: As am I. After all, you did imply that this person was more powerful than I am._**

 ** _AN: You really want to know? [villains all nod as they get in close after AN motions for them to do so] IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! And at the moment, you readers will just have to wait and see for yourselves, but you won't have to wait long, as that unveiling will come in just two chapters, which will lead to the start of the final stretch for this story, so try to restrain yourselves from guessing, especially if you plan on posting those guesses in your reviews in the event that you're right._**

 ** _Now, the Avengers in this story, in case you hadn't realized it, I basically used all the Avengers members that had appeared in the MARVEL Cinematic Universe or who are said to be appearing in said universe at some point in the future, hence the inclusion of Wasp and Spider-Man, and their appearances are that of their most recent ones in said universe. Speaking of which, I have to admit that many moments and lines in this chapter drew some inspiration from those movies, so see if you can spot any of them._**

 ** _Also, the fights between Roxas and Xion, and between Terra and Riku. Admittedly, I wasn't going to include both fights in this chapter, but I ended up doing so because to do otherwise would've made the next chapter in this time frame a little too long for my tastes. Also, the first of those two fights, I will admit I drew some inspiration from the final fight between Captain America and Winter Soldier in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but that was because I felt it just worked so well for that fight. As for Terra and Riku's fight, I dare you to tell me that there hasn't been a moment where you weren't curious as to who would win if that were to happen._**

 ** _Finally, the reveal of the pairing between Riku &Xion. I will admit, I have nothing against MOST of the pairings that have come up or been done in the Kingdom Hearts series, but in the case of the pairings in which Xion is involved in, I honestly like the pairing of Xion&Riku best. Don't get me wrong, I like Roxas&Xion just as much as the next guy, but I honestly think that Roxas belongs with Namine more than he does with Xion. Plus whenever I think of Roxas and Xion together, one of the first things that comes to my mind is that of a sibling relationship. _**

**_Also, yeah I let Xion and Riku both live, and that's because I like both characters a lot. I know I seem to bash on Riku a bit every now and then, but he is still a cool guy. As for Xion, I can kind of relate to her a bit. I mean she started out as this quiet, shy girl who had a lot of trouble getting close to the people around her until she met Roxas, and when I was little, I was a bit like that myself. I had some trouble making friends without outside help, and was the quite, shy person that was normally sitting off to the side because he was nervous about being around other people. I didn't have to worry about bullies as much as Xion did, but still, that's one of the reasons why I like her character so much, and why I really felt bad for what happened to her at the end of 358/2._**

 ** _Now enough with the sappy, emotional stuff and this seriously too long author's note. Next chapter, we're headed back to the past, as you'll see as soon as I say, Onto the Preview!..._**

 ** _As the heroes in the future continue in their exploits, Sora and Kairi arrive in Arendelle to find the kingdom trapped in an eternal winter, and they quickly discover that the best chance of finding Mickey's past self may lie with the runaway queen and her sister who had gone after her. With this knowledge in hand, Sora and Kairi set out and quickly meet up with Princess Anna and the new friends she had gained to help her in her journey to find her sister. Will the two groups be successful in their endeavors, or more importantly, will Sora and Kairi survive the princess's attempts to finally get them together? The answers to these questions and more, next time._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	15. Snow Problem (Pun Intended)

_**AN: Finally finished! At least with this chapter. I'm sorry for taking so long, because in all honesty, I thought I'd have this chapter done a few days ago, but it turned out that writing this really long chapter was a bit more difficult than I originally thought it would be. I had one idea that came up for a situation, only to later realize that it would never work, and then I had to think of a variety of other variables involved, but you don't want to hear about all that, you just want to get on with the story. So with that said, I won't keep you any longer.**_

 _ **Sora: Isn't there something else that you should mention to them before getting the show on the road?**_

 _ **AN: Oh right. Thanks for the reminder. What our favorite main hero of Kingdom Hearts is referring to is the fact that we are nearing the end of this grand adventure, as the number of chapters until this story is finished can be counted on one hand. So while you guys are enjoying this chapter, the cast and I will be having a little...[hits his control] PAAAAAAARTYYYYYYYYYYYY!**_

 _ **[Music starts playing as streamers fly and everyone on the cast starts enjoying snacks or just busting moves on the dance floor]**_

 ** _Terra: Now this is what I call having a good time!_**

 ** _Ven: You said it!_**

 ** _Aqua: Hey you two, one of boys care to share a dance with me?_**

 ** _[Terra and Ven glance at each other before immediately starting a contest to see who dances with Aqua, much to said girl's amusement]_**

 ** _AN: Well, while we're having a good time [blows a party horn at Riku and Xion, who were making out a short ways off until he did] Enjoy the chapter folks!_**

 ** _I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story._**

* * *

 **Chapter XV**

Though Sora and Kairi were both a bit startled by Terra, Aqua, and Ven's sudden call from the future, when they heard about the reason for it, they immediately relaxed and just laughed at how the three had freaked out over something that was rather normal for the two of them. Kairi was honestly not ashamed to admit that she ended up laughing so hard when Sora had thrown the joke Aqua once used on them right back at her, and the blunette's subsequent reaction, but all laughter immediately halted when they lost contact with the three a minute later. They were both a bit worried about the three, but they knew that if Roxas was with them that they would be alright, and at the moment, they had bigger things to deal with because they could see their destination approaching. When they first saw the world, they first thought that it would be a rather warm world, despite what Mickey had told them, but as soon as they were through the world barrier, they found that it was quite the opposite.

The place they arrived in was definitely a town that was by the water front, and was clearly in business of trading with other countries from overseas if the port was any indication, but everywhere Sora and Kairi looked, they saw snow and ice covering the kingdom, and it looked like the cold weather was still coming down. Thankfully it did not seem to be a full-on blizzard, but from what the two could see of the citizens that were struggling to keep warm, it was clear that the weather was not normal there for this time of year. If the people were not huddled together in as many blankets as they could get, they were crowded around whatever heat source they could find, and if they were not doing that, they were wearing some form of coat or cloak while passing out additional blankets and coats for others.

The two then looked around for another minute before Sora spotted a man that was carrying some firewood to one of the houses nearby. The man in question was dressed in blue pants, a dark red shirt, dark colored boots, and a black coat that was left unzipped, had brown hair and bluish-green eyes, and could be heard mumbling something about things going crazy at some recent time. Thinking that they could probably get some information from this guy, Sora immediately walked over and said, "Excuse me, sir, but could you help me and my friend out?"

The man turned and gave a small smile to Sora and Kairi before saying, "Sure thing pal. Are you more of the visitors that came in recently to see the coronation or something?"

"Something like that," Kairi replied. "Oh, I'm Kairi by the way, and this is Sora."

"Nice to meet you both. My name's Dave," the man replied as he exchanged a quick handshake with the two. "So where you guys from?"

"Uh…some place very, very far away from here," Sora replied, making sure to keep the story as vague as possible so that he did not disrupt the world order. "In fact, it's so far away that not only have most people around here not even heard of it, but we only just arrived today."

"Wow, really," Dave asked in surprise. "How'd you get through the ice?"

"It's a little hard to explain," Kairi stated. "Anyway, we're actually here looking for a friend of ours. He's a bit short, like about up to Sora's waist, has big ears, and…he might look a bit like a mouse."

Dave seemed to pause for a minute as he thought over what Kairi had said before replying, "Sorry doesn't ring a bell. I'd suggest going to the palace and seeing if someone there could help, but given how no one had gone there in years until just recently and how things are right now, I wouldn't waste my time if I were you."

"What do you mean," Sora asked. "What exactly happened?"

"Well no one really knew what happened to cause the king and queen to close the gates, or even why the gates were left closed even after they were lost at sea," Dave explained. "They were never opened and most trade with Arendelle went down until just recently when Princess Elsa was to be named as the new queen. Naturally since this was the first time that the gates had been opened in years, everyone from just about all the corners of the world showed up to see Elsa and her sister, Princess Anna, and the inside of the palace as well. Sometime during the night after the coronation, it was revealed that Queen Elsa had some kind of strange ice powers, and the people panicked, thinking she was some kind of monster, and then she just took off into the mountains. A little while after that, this eternal winter that's now covering the kingdom started up, and Princess Anna went out to find her sister so that she could bring the queen back and have Elsa end it."

"Why would the people think that Elsa was a monster just because she has some strange ice magic," Sora asked. "I mean, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but then again, Kairi and I know a lot of people who can use magic so it's not that big of a deal for us, and we've met a lot of really strange people in our travels as well."

"I know what you mean Sora," Dave replied with a nod. "When I saw Queen Elsa using her powers, I didn't see a monster; I saw a young girl who was clearly frightened, and whose fear only worsened because a few people overreacted. I just hope Princess Anna finds the queen and gets back soon, because there's just something about that prince from the Southern Isles and the Duke of Weselton that bugs me."

"Well thanks for your help," Kairi said as she and Sora began to walk away towards the mountains.

When Dave noticed this he immediately called out, "Hey, you guys aren't thinking of going up there, are you?"

"We've got to look everywhere to find our friend, and we have to find him soon, otherwise some of our other friends will be in big trouble," Kairi explained. "Besides, there might be a chance that either Queen Elsa or the princess might have run into him up there, so why not take a chance and find out?"

Dave had to pause in thought for a minute before he finally nodded and said, "Well I guess that it would make a bit of sense, plus it would be better to ask one of them than it would those other two guys I just mentioned. Actually, now that I think about it, I did hear a rumor about someone seeing a strange looking man wandering the mountains who kind of fit the description you just gave me, so it could be worth it."

"You really think so," Sora asked.

"Yeah, why not," Dave smiled encouragingly. "If you guys hurry, you might be able to catch up with Princess Anna, and if you're lucky she'll have run into this person."

"Thanks Dave. You've been a big help," Sora stated as he and Kairi took off towards the snowy mountains.

"Best of luck you guys," Dave called out to the duo.

"He seemed nice," Kairi commented.

"Yeah, but I kind of got the feeling there was something strange about him," Sora commented. The two though about it for a minute before they just shrugged and looked forwards again at the mountain that they were about to begin trekking upwards to.

* * *

Anna was not having a good day. First she accidentally caused her sister to freak out and cause their kingdom to become trapped in an eternal winter, then she lost her horse just a few minutes after she rode off to find Elsa and bring her back, and now she and her new traveling companion, Kristoff were surrounded by strange creatures that just suddenly attacked them from out of nowhere. They were definitely not wolves or other typical forest mountain animals, but at the same time, they were not like anything that either of the two had seen before, and that was reason enough for Kristoff's reindeer to run off with their little snowman friend, Olaf in a panic.

"Well this just keeps getting better and better," Kristoff commented as he held his ice pick at the ready, clearly prepared to use it as a weapon if necessary. "Really, you couldn't have tried to not cause your sister to go crazy and then drag me along to clean up your mess?"

Anna rolled her eyes in annoyance, as this was now the umpteenth time that Kristoff had said something like that to her. Ever since the two met, he had been giving her grief not only on how she caused Elsa to freak out, but also on how she had agreed to marry Prince Hans the same day that they had met, claiming that he was close friends with "love experts", and in all honesty, it was trying her last nerve. "Could you please help to find a way out of this before giving me a hard time," Anna asked.

"Well of course your majesty," Kristoff said in false politeness. "I mean it's not like we're going to die if I don't do something."

Anna was about to retort when someone suddenly shouted out to them, and they immediately turned to see that one of the creatures surrounding them had just tried to jump at them in an attempt to attack, only to be destroyed by a sudden pink blur. The two then looked to see a young woman with auburn hair, dressed in a pink dress, a white camisole, a pair of grey, fingerless gloves, and silver colored sleeves that covered her arms with a strange piece of shoulder armor on her left shoulder that was colored pink with white highlights had just appeared out of nowhere, with a strange, key-shaped sword, decorated with flowers. The woman then looked to the two and said, "Stay clear and leave this to us."

"No problem," Anna replied as she and Kristoff immediately took cover just as the woman had told them to. They only just noticed a boy with spiky, brown hair in a black and red outfit, fingerless black gloves, large black and yellow shoes, a small set of shoulder armor on his left shoulder like the woman's, except with red highlights, and a bit of armor on his left arm that was colored in the same way as the shoulder armor, holding a similar weapon which looked more like a key than the woman's charging in to help out as they took cover, and they were soon shocked to see the two tear through the strange creatures with ease. When the last of the creatures was destroyed, the two weapons disappeared in a flash of light, prompting Anna to step up and ask, "How'd you two do that?"

"Do what? Fight off the Unversed," the boy asked. "We do that kind of thing all the time. More importantly, are you two okay?"

"We're fine, thanks," Kristoff replied. "I'm Kristoff by the way, and this little troublemaker here is Princess Anna."

"I am not a troublemaker," Anna huffed in retort.

"Sure you aren't," Kristoff said in a disbelieving tone.

"Wait, wait, back up a minute. You're Princess Anna," the boy asked. When Anna proudly nodded in reply, the two newcomers immediately seemed to perk up as the boy added, "Wow, we've been looking everywhere for you. Good thing that snowman we saw pointed us in the right direction."

"Is Olaf okay," Anna asked, hoping that the sweet little snowman who dreamed of seeing summer was alright.

"Yeah he's fine," the woman replied. "By the way, I'm Kairi and this is Sora. We were hoping you could help us with something. You see, we're looking for a friend of ours and it's really important that we find him as soon as possible."

"Well the only people I've seen out here are Kristoff, his reindeer, Olaf, and a shopkeeper, so sorry, but I haven't," Anna replied.

"Well it was worth a shot," Sora muttered to himself. He then turned to Kristoff and asked, "How about you? Have you seen him? He comes up to my waist, has big ears, and looks kind of like a big mouse."

"Nope, I've never seen anyone like that before," Kristoff shrugged. "But this is a big mountain, so you never know. Anyways, we've got to get going so that Anna can get her sister to come back and end the eternal winter that's covered the kingdom. Don't ask me why I'm helping though, seeing as it would be bad for my business."

"Mind if we come with you," Kairi asked. "We were hoping that maybe the queen would know where our friend is as well."

"Sure thing," Anna replied. "We'd be happy to have you and your boyfriend along for the ride."

Sora and Kairi both turned crimson at this and immediately protested, "I'm/He's not her/my boyfriend!"

"Really," Kristoff asked. "Cause it sure seems like you guys are a couple from where I'm standing."

"We're not," Sora huffed, his face still red from blushing as he turned away, wondering how he could feel so hot when it was so cold.

"I think they are," a new voice added, and they all turned to see the small snowman, Olaf, and a reindeer coming over to them. "I mean, they sure seem like they're a couple considering how well they get along, and I can just feel the sparks of love between them," the snowman carried on from what he was saying earlier.

Anna then looked from Olaf to Sora and Kairi, who were still blushing, and then had to gain a small smile as she determined to do whatever it took to get the two to realize they were each other's true love. Kristoff noticed the look that the red haired princess now had, and had to groan in exasperation from what it clearly meant before getting everyone to get their focus back on track so that they could continue on their way, which Sora and Kairi were happy to do, as evidenced by the fact that they were so quick to take a leading position, even though they had no idea where they were going.

As they walked up the mountain, Anna was not hesitant to ask Sora and Kairi some questions about where they were from and what their home was like, a fact that immediately told the two that the princess did not get out of her palace all that much, which made sense since the castle gates had been closed off to the rest of the kingdom for so long now. Over the course of Anna's little game of twenty questions though, they found themselves calming down from the embarrassment and nervousness they had fallen into earlier due to Anna and Olaf's accusations of them being a couple, but that quickly began to return in full force when Anna decided to start asking them some more personal questions. "So why are you two traveling together instead of with your families," Anna asked.

"It just happened that way," Sora replied, not wanting to reveal how it really happened for many reasons, one of which being that Anna might read too much into it if he told her.

"Well why not invite some of your other friends," Anna then asked.

"We were actually going to set out and travel with our best friend, Riku, but some things happened and we got separated from him, which led him to fall in with some bad people," Kairi replied with a small, sad tone of voice. "We've been trying to get him back ever since."

Anna nodded in consent at that, knowing enough about people to know that the topic was clearly a very sensitive one for the two since Sora seemed to get a bit depressed at hearing Riku's name. Anna then perked up again and asked, "So how long have you known each other?"

"Well I've known Riku for almost all my life, and we met Kairi when we were about four years old after she suddenly appeared during a meteor shower. The three of us have been the best of friends ever since," Sora replied, remembering the day he first met Kairi quite fondly if the nostalgic smile he had gained was anything to go by.

"I remember that day almost like it was yesterday," Kairi sighed just as fondly. "I had just woken up on a beach, not able to remember anything other than my name, when I suddenly saw someone running over to me and then gently lifting me up off the ground to see if I was alright. He then brought me to the mayor's house, and a couple days later I met Sora, and I found myself instantly liking him. There was just something about him that made me feel like I could depend on him and that I could never hate him for some reason."

"What about Riku," Kristoff then asked.

"What do you mean? Didn't I mention Riku too?"

"No, you just said Sora," Kristoff pointed out with a sly look of his own, leading Kairi's face to turn red with a blush once again. Kristoff then threw a look in Anna's direction and said, "See? Now that's how real true love can develop. Knowing someone for a while and letting the feelings grow instead of just falling for a guy and agreeing to marry him the same day you meet."

"Would you please get off that already," Anna groaned in annoyance, her good mood from talking to Sora and Kairi now gone.

"Uh, someone want to fill us in," Sora asked.

"Miss Brilliant here freaked out her sister, the queen, and caused the whole eternal winter we're now in the middle of because she introduced the queen to a man she got engaged to the same day that they met, and which she knows nothing about," Kristoff explained.

"I keep telling you, I don't need to know everything about him. Its true love," Anna huffed as she crossed her arms.

"You know, it might work that way for some people, but not everyone," Kairi said in an attempt to calm the two down. "Sometimes, the best ones are the ones you would never expect or just the people that you're closest to."

"You mean like you and Sora," Olaf asked.

"Exactly. Like me and…wait, what," Kairi immediately said when she realized what just happened, leading both her and Sora to gain brilliant blushes that could have probably melted the surrounding snow and Olaf. Anna and Kristoff both smirked at the two, knowing what Olaf just did, and they were both now more than determined to do whatever they could to get Sora and Kairi together.

* * *

The remainder of the group's trek up the mountain was filled with crazy attempts from Anna to get Sora and Kairi together, much to the twos embarrassment. One of her first attempts was "accidentally" bumping into Kairi and causing her to fall into Sora's arms, which resulted in failure seeing as Roxas and Naminé used to do that all the time to them, but still caused the two to blush. Another attempt came from a surprise snow ball fight with Anna and Kristoff on one team, and Sora and Kairi on the other, with the idea that Sora would try to play the part of the knight in shining armor and attempt to protect Kairi. This had failed because Anna and Kristoff did not know that Kairi was very capable of taking care of herself in anything, and had made the point quite clear to Sora on many occasions, having gotten mad at him a few times when he did try to protect her when she did not need it. The most recent attempt was when Anna convinced Kristoff to help her attach a small twig to a piece of string that they had on them and a branch and then dangled the twig over the two. Sora and Kairi just looked up at it for a moment before raising a confused eyebrow in Anna's direction, to which she just gave sheepish wave in reply before they began walking to their destination again.

"I thought for sure that would work," Anna huffed as she threw the branch down.

"Why would hanging a twig over their heads have made them get together as a couple," Kristoff asked, truly confused as to what the strange, chipper princess was thinking.

"I thought they would think it was mistletoe and share a kiss," Anna shrugged in admittance.

Kristoff was not entirely sure how to respond to that, so instead he decided to just smile in light amusement and ask a more important question that pertained to their current mission. "So how are you going to convince the queen to come back with you?"

"Oh I am gonna talk to my sister," Anna replied proudly.

When she did not add anything else to what she said, the entire group stopped and looked at her like she had just grown a second head. "Please tell me there's more to that plan," Sora begged.

"Why would there need to be," Anna asked. "Elsa and I used to be inseparable, and even after everything that's happened I'm sure she still feels the same way as before, and I can convince her to come back."

"And if you can't do that, what then," Kairi asked.

"I'll be able to do that," Anna replied confidently, clearly telling the two Keybearers that she had not thought of any backup plan at all due to being so sure that her only plan was going to work. "What about you two? What're you going to do if Elsa has seen your friend?"

"We're going to find him and convince him to help us," Sora replied.

"And you were criticizing Anna on her plan," Kristoff asked incredulously, even if he agreed with the two that Anna's plan was rather stupid and half-baked.

"Unlike Anna, we don't have a choice," Kairi replied. "If we can't convince Mickey to help us, then some of our friends will be in great danger that they'll never be able to get out of."

Kristoff and Anna nodded in understanding of this, and the group then elected to continue on in silence, apart from Olaf who was singing a small, off-key tune about getting to see what summer was like, much to Sora and Kairi's confusion and amusement. When Anna explained that it was Olaf's dream to see summer, Sora was quick to assure the little snowman that it would definitely happen if he just believed in it, much to the snowman's excitement. Kristoff just smirked and said that he was going to tell Olaf why he would not be able to see summer, until both Anna and Kairi smacked him in the arm and whispered, "Don't you dare."

Sora had noticed this and had to laugh at the iceman's misfortune, much to Kristoff's annoyance, until they finally saw that they had arrived at what was most likely their destination. The sight before them was one that Sora and Kairi could only most closely associate to the sight of the Castle of Dreams, as a beautiful ice castle sat atop the mountain and reached for the sky as it glistened in the winter sun. Kristoff was nearly brought to tears at the sight of such a masterpiece of ice, with everyone telling him that they would not judge if he did, while Anna and the others just looked on in child-like awe before they made their way up the stairs of ice that led to the front door. Before they could even enter though, Anna stopped the group and said, "Maybe you all should wait out here. Last time I tried to introduce my sister to someone, specifically a boy, she froze everything."

"But if she knows where Mickey is then one of us has to come with you," Sora pointed out as he gestured between himself and Kairi.

"Right…well in that case…you boys should stay out here while Kairi and I go in," Anna then determined.

Sora was about to argue until Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled as she said, "Don't worry, Sora. I'll be fine. Besides, if something does happen, you'll be the first to know, and I know that you'll be right there to help me in a heartbeat."

Sora finally sighed in defeat before he showed his agreement with the situation by smiling brightly at Kairi, and the girls then entered the ice castle saying they should only be a minute. As soon as they walked in, the boys sat down on the steps along with Olaf, who immediately started counting down the seconds, much to Sora's amusement.

* * *

Kairi and Anna were both just as in awe at the sight of the interior of the ice castle as they were of the sight of it outside, as it was quite clear that Elsa put a lot of effort into making the castle as spectacular as possible. The floor, ceiling, walls, and every other inch of the ice palace was made of ice that seemed to sparkle in the light like a wondrous piece of art that words could not describe, and the two felt like they could just stand in that one room and look around it forever. The probably would have too, if Anna had not remembered why they were there after she found herself glimpsing the very person who made the castle they were inside of.

"Anna, what're you doing here," Elsa called out from where she was standing atop the stairs of the second floor. The two redheads were unable to respond right away, as Elsa was dressed in a magnificent, blue dress that seemed to shine and sparkle like the ice the palace was made of and snowflakes, and it just went so well with Elsa's skin tone and hair that it made Kairi think that Elsa was both queen of Arendelle and beauty in her own way.

"Elsa, you look…different," Anna then noted after finally finding her voice again. "It's a good different, and this place is amazing."

"Thank you. I never knew what I was capable of until now," Elsa replied with a small amount of pride. She then noticed that her sister was not alone and became a little nervous. "Who's this?"

"I'm Kairi," the Keyblade Wielder replied as she gave a small placating gesture and a wave. "I'm a friend of Anna's and I was hoping that you could help me and my other friend with something."

"I don't think I'd be of that much help to be honest," Elsa replied as she took a small step back that only Kairi seemed to notice due to her experience and training as a Keyblade Wielder.

Anna did not notice this though as she took a step up the stairs towards her sister as she said, "Listen Elsa, I'm so sorry about what happened. I mean, if I had known…"

"No, it's okay," Elsa immediately interrupted as gently as she could in an attempt to placate her sister. "You don't have to apologize, but you should probably go. Please."

"But we just got here," Anna pointed out. "And Kairi and Sora really need your help with something, and you belong down in Arendelle with me and all the rest of us."

"No Anna, I belong here, alone, where I can be who I am without hurting anybody," Elsa immediately argued, and from hearing this, Kairi was quick to realize that Elsa probably did not realize what had happened after she had left. A quick glance at Anna told the Keyblade Master of the future that the princess was about to inform her sister of what had happened, and given what Kairi had seen of Elsa, the auburn haired girl did not think that was such a good idea. Kairi then prepared to stop Anna from saying anything when someone else beat her to it by drawing all three girls' attention to the door.

"Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs," the snowman shouted as he ran into the palace with Sora right behind him, clearly trying to stop him from doing what he just did, even though it was too late now.

"Sora," Kairi cried exasperatedly. "What part of wait outside did you miss?"

"Hey don't look at me," Sora quickly protested. "I was just following the snowman…which I just realized was probably a bad idea."

Kairi just chuckled a little as she shook her head at Sora's short train of thought on the situation before she noticed that Elsa was looking at Olaf in slight surprise. "Olaf," the queen of Arendelle asked in shock.

"You built me. Remember that," Olaf asked in a surprisingly quiet tone for him.

"And you're alive," Elsa then asked in equal surprise as before, receiving a nod from the snowman in response. Elsa then looked at Sora and asked, "And are you Kairi's friend?"

"Oh yeah. I'm Sora. Nice to meet you Elsa," Sora said, finally remembering his manners.

"Sora and Kairi? But that's…" Elsa stopped as she glanced at her hands for a minute in thought, confusing everyone as she did.

"Is something wrong," Sora asked.

"It's just that…I once read a legend that told of a boy and a girl who would one day travel across many different lands and attempt to save them all from a great darkness as part of my reading homework," Elsa admitted. "The boy's name was Sora the Brave and the girl's was Princess Kairi."

"Wait…Are you saying that you think we're the same people as the ones in that legend," Kairi asked in slight disbelief. Eventually though, she and Sora had to chuckle a little in amusement along with the two sisters, as none of them would have ever expected such a strange thing.

Anna then knelt down next to Olaf as she said, "What about Olaf? He's just like the snowman we built as kids, isn't he?"

"Yeah he is," Elsa admitted in fond remembrance.

"Elsa we were so close," Anna then continued, thinking that Olaf and Sora had given her a good opportunity to press on. "We can be like that again."

The idea seemed to hold a little appeal to Elsa, but then Sora and Kairi saw the young queen's face suddenly shift into a fearful gaze, the kind that one would often have when they were thinking of a bad memory from their past, and they knew that it was bad enough for Elsa to immediately back away towards the door that led to the staircase that led further up into the ice palace and say, "No we can't. Please leave Anna. I'm just trying to protect you."

"You don't have to protect me. I'm not afraid," Anna insisted. "Please Elsa, don't shut me out again. Don't you see that I finally understand everything that's going on with you?"

"Anna please go back and live your life in Arendelle," Elsa then told her sister as she tried to put on an encouraging smile. "If you do that and stay away, you'll be safe from me."

Before Anna could say anymore, Sora suddenly stepped forward and asked, "Can you at least help me and Kairi? We're trying to find a friend of ours named Mickey."

Elsa's face immediately gained a shocked expression, but she was quick to make it disappear, thinking that Sora and Kairi had not noticed as she said, "I'm sorry, but I'm the only one up here. I haven't seen anyone else, and that's the main reason why I'm up here, because I'm alone and everyone else is safe from any harm I could bring them."

"Actually, we're not," Anna then said before Sora or Kairi could stop her.

"What do you mean you're not," Elsa immediately asked as she became apprehensive.

"Well…Arendelle's in deep, deep snow," Anna replied hesitantly. When Elsa looked both confused and shocked, Anna could not stop herself from clarifying, "You kind of caused an eternal winter, but it's okay because you can make it stop."

"No…no I can't," Elsa muttered in reply, clearly becoming very worried about what she had just heard. Sora and Kairi were quick to notice that snow was beginning to fall around them, showing that Elsa was in far less control of her powers than they had thought, but apparently, Anna took no notice of this.

"Of course you can," Anna encouraged. "I know you can."

"No Anna, I can't. I can't stop it anymore than I can control it," Elsa protested, not realizing that her ice powers were building up in her hand until she suddenly threw it out towards the three, releasing a wave of ice magic when she did that headed directly towards them. Sora and Kairi were both quick to react by summoning their Keyblades so that they could defend themselves, but they quickly became fully aware that successfully doing so had left Anna unprotected as the ice wave continued towards her. At least, that was the case until someone suddenly jumped in front of Anna and stopped the blast from hitting her.

"Elsa, calm down," the figure that had saved Anna pleaded in a voice that Sora and Kairi recognized all too easily. "If you're not careful, your powers will continue lashing out in response to your emotions."

Elsa immediately realized that the figure was right and took a deep breath to do as he said, ending the sudden swirl of snow that had enveloped the room, much to everyone's relief. When Elsa looked towards Anna with an expression of horror and anguish at what she had nearly done, she was naturally shocked to see that Anna was not looking at her in fear or betrayal like she had expected her sister to, but instead was still smiling at her with the same strong belief in her eyes that she held before. This sight was actually quite welcoming to the young queen, but upon glancing at Sora and Kairi, she and her sister both saw that they were looking at the newcomer in silent surprise, and it did not escape either of their notice how the fact the hood of the strange figure's coat did nothing to hide his large ears.

"Mickey," Sora whispered. "Mickey is that really you?"

The figure then sighed before he lowered his hood to reveal the face of Mickey Mouse to Sora and Kairi, much to their relieved joy, only for that joy to become worry when they saw the great despair in the mouse king's eyes. "Wow, he really is a big mouse," Anna muttered to Elsa after she walked over to her sister, thinking that the three needed a minute.

Elsa did nothing to move away from Anna, but instead just nodded as she replied, "Yeah it surprised me to when he just showed up here one day asking if he could hide out here. Apparently, something happened to him that made him feel like he had failed some friends of his and he didn't want to cause them anymore problems by being around. I only lied about him not being here because I thought that Sora and Kairi were those friends."

"Well you're not really that far off," Mickey replied solemnly before looking to the two Keyblade Wielders in question, who still had both of their Keyblades out. "Tell me, where'd you get those? Keyblades are not just something that anyone can use after all."

"They chose us," Sora replied as he dismissed the Kingdom Key from his hand. "But that's not important right now. Mickey, we really need your help."

"What kind of help, exactly," Mickey asked, his voice indicating just how cautious he was about offering his services.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that we're Keyblade Masters from the future, which is completely messed by the way, and we were sent back in time to change the past, but now Terra, Aqua, and Ven have all been sent to our future where they're now trapped unless you can help us open the gate that is literally their only chance of getting back," Kairi replied, shockingly, in one breath.

Mickey looked between the two Keybearers for a minute before he finally said, "As entertaining a story as that is, I'm afraid that I can't help you even if you weren't possibly out of your minds. Why don't you just go back to Yen Sid, because I know he sent you, and tell him that I can't come back unless he wants everyone to suffer because of me."

"We can't go back to Yen Sid and tell him that because he didn't send us," Sora immediately retorted. He then adopted a slightly sheepish expression before adding, "Well I mean he did send us, but it wasn't the Yen Sid of this time, it was the one in the future, and he wasn't the only one who sent us."

"Sora, please get to the point before you give everyone a headache of confusion," Kairi whispered, clearly seeing that their story was already getting wide-eyed looks from Anna and Elsa.

Sora took a deep breath to calm himself down and did as Kairi asked by turning to Mickey and saying, "The person who sent us was you."

That drew a surprised look from Mickey, but before the mouse king could say anything, Kristoff suddenly burst in shouting, "Guys, we've got a problem! Those creatures that attacked us in the forest are heading right this way, and they've got a lot of company with them!"

"What kind of company," Elsa asked.

"The kind that looks like a large angry mob," Kristoff said. Everyone quickly followed Elsa upstairs to the balcony that overlooked the mountains and had a spectacular view of the sky and the kingdom bellow, and they were immediately greeted by a massive gathering of people who were clearly from Arendelle.

Sora quickly pulled out a set of binoculars and began looking down towards the crowd to see if he could spot anyone in particular, which led Kairi to ask, "Where'd you get those?"

"Yen Sid gave them to me a little while back just in case," Sora replied as he continued to look through the binoculars. He then paused for a minute until he reported, "Looks like they're a number of people from the kingdom that are just acting out of fear, which is pretty helpful for the vast number of Unversed that are with them. The only one who doesn't seem all that afraid is the red haired guy in a white suit leading the charge."

"That sounds like Hans," Anna exclaimed. "But he was supposed to look after Arendelle in my absence. Why's he doing this?"

"No clue, but I don't think it's for a good reason," Sora scowled as he handed the binoculars to Kairi so she could have a look. "There's just something about that guy that doesn't feel right to me, and if the look on his face that I caught a glimpse of is any indication, that feeling is well justified."

"Sora's right," Kairi confirmed after handing the boy his binoculars back. "That guy seems a little too eager to storm this place; almost like he's going to get everything he wants by coming here and possibly dragging Elsa out in chains, and then doing who knows what to you, Anna."

"Don't be ridiculous," Anna tried to protest. "Maybe you're just seeing things."

"Anna, Kairi's a Princess of Heart," Sora then revealed. "That means that her judgment of most things is never wrong. Trust me, you do not want to try and argue with her on these types of things."

Anna was about to argue again when she heard Hans shout out, "Elsa, come out of the castle, surrender yourself, and you will not be harmed so long as Anna is alright. If you do not do so, we will take you by any force necessary. I'm giving you this one warning for Anna's sake, but I cannot guarantee that any of us will wait for long."

The entire time Hans was saying this, Anna could hear in his voice just how little he meant what he was saying, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was just putting on a show for the few people that were with him. Seeing this nearly brought tears to the poor girl's eyes and Elsa did not hesitate for a second to try and comfort her little sister as best she could with a hug along with Olaf. Sora on the other hand had a different idea on how to respond to the situation. "Kristoff, you stay here with Olaf and Anna, keep Elsa safe. Kairi, Mickey, and I can take care of that guy and the Unversed, and calm down the people in no time."

Kairi immediately nodded in agreement with this as she and Sora both summoned their Keyblades, but just as they were about to charge out into the battle, they immediately froze when they heard Mickey say, "No, I can't help."

Sora looked at Mickey in shock for a full minute before he finally moved to clean his ears out and say, "I'm sorry, I must've had something in my ear. I could've sworn you just said you can't help."

"That's exactly what I said," Mickey replied as he looked away in shame.

"Why not," Kairi asked. "You're Mickey Mouse, the king of Disney Castle, and a master of the Keyblade. You're the guy that Donald and Goofy can always count on to pull them out of the most dangerous situations. You're the one who helped Aqua to save a little girl from the Unversed in Radiant Garden. You can do anything."

"No I can't," Mickey replied. "Maybe I could have before, but that Mickey Mouse is long gone. All I can do is cause friendships to fall apart, bring pain and misery to everyone around me, and hurt the ones close to me."

Sora and Kairi could hardly believe what they were seeing or hearing. Mickey Mouse, one of the most powerful Keyblade Masters they had ever known, and the same person who had inspired them to keep going no matter what, was actually talking like he had already lost every battle he would enter before they had even started. The sad and depressed look on his face was shocking to say the least, but this was far worse than anything they could have ever imagined as an ultimate low point for their friend. The sight of this nearly drove Kairi to tears, and the fact that she turned away to start running out to the battle that laid before them was indication enough that she was not just saddened by the sight, but that she was also terribly, terribly disappointed.

That feeling was shared by Sora who instead of running off along with Kairi just turned an angry glare at the mouse and said, "Fine, if you want to waste away and give up without even trying, then go ahead, because if that is the case, then you're right about being someone else. In all honesty, I can't see how you could possibly have ever become the Mickey Mouse I know, especially if you're really going to be like this; someone who just gives up and doesn't help his friends when they need it."

Mickey did not need to look at Sora to know that the boy had tears beginning to form in his own eyes as he too turned away and took off to the battle outside where they could already hear Kairi fighting back against Hans and the Unversed. The small king was not sure what he was like in Sora and Kairi's time, that is assuming that their story of being from the future was true, but he knew that the two likely had every right to react in the way they did if the Mickey Mouse they knew or heard of was anything like they had just indicated he was. It was enough to drive poor Mickey to tears as well over the fact that he had let down two more people once again, only this time because of the fact he was not even trying to do something to help.

Seeing the poor Mouse's distress, Olaf walked up to him and said, "You look like you need a hug, buddy." Mickey did not say anything in response, but instead just let a few tears fall, prompting Olaf to hug him anyways while Anna did the same. "You know, you seem like a good friend to me," the snowman then said. "I mean, you've been staying here and keeping Elsa company even though she says that she wants to be alone, and you consider her a friend right?"

Mickey nodded a little in response, as there was not a moment since meeting Elsa that he did not consider the young woman a friend of his. Anna then decided to say a little piece of her own by saying, "I may not understand what true love is as well as I thought I did, but I do know what a real friend is, and you definitely seem like you've been a good friend to my sister if she was willing to go so far to keep you safe. Plus, you've already done something to help someone. You helped Elsa earlier and you helped me just before that."

Elsa smiled at Mickey as she added, "Anna's right Mickey. I may have said that I don't mind being alone, but that wasn't true. I really was very happy to have you come to this castle and become my friend. The fact that you were safe from my uncontrollable powers was just a small bonus, and let's not forget, if it wasn't for you, I would've accidentally frozen Anna's heart and probably everyone else's too. You've already done a lot for us without even trying to, and you were never afraid to do it then. In fact, you've now inspired me to stop being afraid and face my own fears."

Anna turned to Elsa in confusion at that last part, but when she saw her sister heading towards the door, she immediately knew what Elsa was going to do and quickly began to panic. "Elsa no! If you go out there now, there's no telling what those things or the people will do to you! Even if they are acting out of fear, they will probably think of you as a monster if you try to fight them."

"I'm not going to fight them," Elsa revealed. "I know full well if I use my powers to attack them, then I really will be the monster they think I am, but I'm not going to just sit here while my friends fight my battles for me."

Without saying another word, Elsa immediately raced out and down the stairs with Olaf cheering a little in encouragement for her, despite not really knowing what was going on. Anna just stared at where Elsa had disappeared to for a couple minutes before she too stood up and ran after her sister, much to Kristoff's protest as he tried to stop her, leaving Mickey alone with his thoughts, and the revelation that the sisters had just given him.

* * *

Kairi would be the first to admit that running headlong into the battle in the way that she did probably was not the best idea she ever had, but at the moment she did not really care, as she really had to work off some anger after what she had just heard from Mickey, and thus she was quick to charge in and start slashing through Unversed with Destiny's Embrace while firing off a few warning spells to keep the people of Arendelle back. Of course, she did not count on Hans actually trying to attack her head on and thus forcing her to actually strike back, but she did not let that stop her from continuing to fight on. Just as she had parried a blow from the prince that had somehow tricked Anna into thinking he loved her, Kairi noticed that two men were trying to slip past and up into the castle, both armed with crossbows and clearly intending to kill Elsa.

Kairi could do nothing to stop them since she was too preoccupied with trying to fend off Hans and the Unversed that had surrounded her, so she could do nothing more than fearfully watch as they made their way up until a silver and gold blur suddenly slammed into them before revealing itself to be the Kingdom Key after returning to Sora's waiting hand as he jumped down into the battle as well, forcing Hans to back away from the auburn haired girl. "We're not going to get anywhere like this," Sora quietly stated.

"Then how about we give them a little taste of the Blue Burst," Kairi suggested with a smirk.

Sora returned the girl's smirk and then said, "As much as I hate being on the supporting role, I can't really say that I'd disagree with you on that idea this time. Plus I already know that I shouldn't argue with you."

Kairi only giggled in reply before they both shared a nod and shouted out, "Wisdom/Valor Form, drive on!"

One burst of light later saw Sora charging out into the battlefield firing a series of magic darts from his Keyblade as he seemed to skate across the ground in the blue and black styling of his Wisdom Form, and before anyone could attempt to try and close in on him, he would either dash away and fire off a Blizzard-Thunder spell combo or just let Kairi rush in with both the Destiny's Embrace and Pixie Petal Keyblades spinning and striking out at any opponent she got close enough to, with the light blue and purple colors of her Valor Form shinning as she did. The two Keybearers' combination of attack patterns was like nothing that the people among the opposing group had ever seen, and many of them were quick to turn away and start running back to Arendelle, but there were still some that chose to stay and at least watch as Hans and the Unversed continued to fight against Sora and Kairi's combined strength. Kairi had just raced through a particularly large group of Unversed when a sudden blast of ice suddenly froze some Scrappers that tried to jump her from behind, and it was clear that it was not a Blizzard spell from Sora.

"You can threaten me all you wish, Prince Hans, but I will not allow you to harm my friends or my sister anymore than you already have," Elsa shouted as she stormed down the stairs to the ice castle she had built.

Hans and the two men from before both tried to attack Elsa, but Sora and Kairi were both quick to jump to her defense as the latter of the two shouted, "Are you really so blinded by fear that you can't see that you're the monsters here for picking on a young woman who's just afraid and is doing nothing more than defending herself and those she cares about? I mean, just look at what you're working with. Those creatures that you're fighting alongside of are the real monsters here."

Kairi's words just seemed to fall on deaf ears, as all three men just continued to fight against her and her friends. Seeing that she could not reason with them, Kairi was quick to return to the offensive, spinning Pixie Petal into a reverse grip as she did, and then attacked with a much more diverse range and set of attacks than she had before while Sora skated around her and Elsa and fired off a few more magic darts and spells of his own. As the two Keybearers continued their little dance of a battle, Elsa took the opportunity to either literally freeze more Unversed in their place or form a shield of ice between Sora and Kairi and their attackers when there came a moment that they could not defend themselves, but it was clear that the poor girl could not continue to do so for much longer, as she was quickly beginning to show signs of tiring out. Hans was quick to take advantage of this and immediately jumped to try and strike Elsa down, only for someone to suddenly cry out a warning to Elsa just as he had raised his blade.

Elsa was not sure what had happened next, but she did know that she had simply panicked, and that had led her control slip for a moment, unleashing a blast of ice magic that had struck Anna right in her chest just as she had jumped down the last few stairs to try and save her sister by shoving Hans aside. The battle immediately halted when everyone realized what had happened, and that had given Elsa the chance to race over to Anna's side and cry out, "Anna? Anna, can you hear me?"

Anna seemed to be shivering a lot as she slowly glanced up at Elsa and asked, "Yeah I can hear you just fine. Are you okay though?"

"Anna please don't try to talk too much, you're hurt," Elsa pleaded as Sora and Kairi came over, the latter immediately trying to cast a healing spell on Anna in an attempt to reverse any damage that Anna may have taken, only to find that nothing had changed except for one thing.

"Anna, you're hair's turning white," Sora cried out as he saw a number of strands in Anna's red hair turn white as the snow they were standing upon.

When Elsa saw this, she immediately began to become even more worried, as she knew exactly what had happened. "Oh no," Elsa whispered. "Anna, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"What's happening," Kairi asked.

"I…I accidentally froze Anna's heart," Elsa said as she began to cry, eliciting a gasp of shock from Sora and Kairi, along with Olaf and Kristoff who had just arrived in time to hear what the young queen had said. Kristoff was quick to suggest taking Anna to the rock trolls, as he said he had seen them repair such magical damage before, but Elsa quickly dismissed that idea as she said, "They can't do anything for Anna. They were only able to help her before because my magic had struck her head, not her heart."

"There's gotta be something that we can do," Sora said.

"Hang on, I'll get a fire going to keep her warm until we think of something," Olaf said as he ran off to find some firewood in the nearby forest.

"Olaf no, you'll melt," Anna weakly protested as another bit of her hair turned white.

"Some things are worth melting for," Olaf replied with a smile, bringing small smiles to everyone's faces as well. Before Olaf could continue on his way to find wood for a fire, he was immediately stopped again by Kristoff.

"I once talked to Pabbie about this when I got curious about this sort of thing once," Kristoff revealed. "He said that the only way to save a frozen heart is through an act of true love."

Elsa immediately looked to Hans, who was observing everything in silence, before saying, "If you truly do love my sister, then you'll save her. Please, Anna's all I have."

Hans slowly stood up and approached, not missing the suspicious looks that Sora and Kairi were throwing him, and then kneeled down next to the two sisters before giving a devious smirk and saying, "Then I guess it's a shame that Anna doesn't have someone who loves her."

Before anyone could react, Elsa was shoved away from Anna, as the younger sister of the two was dropped into the cold snow, while the others were suddenly jumped and then held down by a number of Unversed. "As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I knew I didn't stand a chance to obtain the throne, and I knew I would have to marry into the throne somewhere," Hans then revealed, finally showing his true colors for all too see, clearly not knowing that some of Arendelle's citizens were still watching from close by. "As heir, you were preferable of course, Elsa, but no one was getting anywhere with you. Now Anna on the other hand, she was so desperate for love she was willing to marry me just like that. I figured after we married, I'd have to stage a little accident for you, but then you doomed yourself, and Anna was dumb enough to go after you. All that's left now is to kill you and bring back summer, while Anna perishes to her frozen fate."

"You're no match for Elsa," Anna struggled to say as she continued to freeze, her hair now almost completely as white as the snow she was lying down upon.

"I knew you were just some lousy creep," Sora shouted. "But I never thought you'd be this terrible of a person!"

"How can you possibly think that anyone would want to follow you as their ruler; someone so selfish that they would willingly play with the emotions of others just to get what they want," Kairi demanded.

"Oh you act as though anyone will ever know," Hans simply shrugged in a smug manner. "As far as anyone else will be concerned, I will be the hero who saved Arendelle from destruction."

"You won't get away with this," Elsa then snarled angrily.

"Oh but I already have," Hans shrugged once again before he raised his blade up once more, certain that he would not fail to strike down Elsa this time. He then brought his blade down, forcing Sora, Kairi, and the others to watch as Elsa tried and failed to form another ice shield, but suddenly found it striking against what appeared to be a transparent barrier.

Hans looked on in stunned shock as he tried to strike Elsa again and again, only to meet the same results, until he heard the sound of the Unversed being destroyed, and turned to see a fast moving figure slashing through the creatures holding their four captives down before casting a fire spell to keep Anna a little warm for even a moment longer. Hans raised his blade to strike at Elsa again, but he soon found it clashing against a blue, key-shaped sword with a star and crescent moon where the teeth were, which immediately forced the blade upwards and away from Elsa, causing him to stumble away from his target. Everyone was completely confused as to what just happened until a familiar voice squeaked, "You haven't gotten away with it yet!"

"Mickey," Sora and Kairi both cried out in relief as the latter cast another fire spell to keep Anna warm, for there, standing between Hans and Elsa with his arms spread out defensively, and his Star Seeker Keyblade in hand, was none other than the king of Disney Castle himself, laying a very angry glare on Hans's form.

"Doesn't matter if its Keyblades or even a basic dagger, no weapon should be used to bully other people around, and people who take advantage of the feelings of others like you are beyond unforgivable," Mickey shouted as he jumped into a battle stance. "I'll show ya!"

"You mean WE will," Sora corrected as he and Kairi quickly ran to stand on either side of Mickey with their own Keyblades at the ready. Mickey looked at the two in surprise for a minute until they gave him a thumbs-up and readied their Keyblades for battle alongside the now smiling mouse.

The battle that ensued saw Sora and Kairi fighting off the last of the Unversed while Mickey met Hans head on in sword combat, and it was clear to see that the mouse had an advantage over Hans, as Mickey was able to easily weave and roll between Hans's strikes before slashing out with some of his own due to the mouse's smaller size. Seeing as Hans had never fought someone so much smaller than him before, he was completely thrown off balance the more he fought against Mickey, although from where Sora was watching as he continued to skate around the battlefield firing spell after spell along with a continuous stream of magic darts, it honestly seemed like Hans had never really been in a basic sword fight in his life. Sora was brought out of his amateur observation of Hans's sword skills when he noticed that the colors of his outfit were beginning to fade out between his Wisdom Form and that of his normal attire, indicating that he was about to change back to normal, a fact that also held true for Kairi as her attire did the same, immediately letting the two know that they would have to hurry and finish their fight quickly before joining Mickey.

With this in mind, Sora immediately raced in and unleashed a much more devastating barrage of Thundaga spells on the Unversed, which brought up a massive snow cloud to cover Kairi as she raced in to unleash a powerful series of dual-slashes on the few Unversed that had survived. When the Drive Forms finally vanished, Sora and Kairi saw that they had finally cleared out the last of the dark creatures, and they immediately ran to assist Mickey in his fight, with Sora parrying a strike from Hans that nearly hit Mickey, allowing Kairi to strike him in the back with her own Keyblade. The one-on-one between the mouse king and the selfish prince then quickly turned into a three-on-one that Hans was quickly beginning to lose, as the combined efforts of the three Keybearers was unlike anything Hans had ever dealt with. Whenever Hans deflected a strike from above, Mickey hit him low, whenever he tried to defend himself from bellow, Sora struck him from above, and whenever he somehow managed to deflect both, Kairi was able to hit him from behind. Eventually, the efforts of the three paid off as Hans finally fell to his knees, with the Star Seeker and the Kingdom Key holding him at bay and keeping him from getting any ideas of trying to get back up.

Seeing that they had managed to subdue their opponent, Kairi immediately made her way over to Anna so that she could help Kristoff and Olaf keep the girl warm, but in doing so, none of them realized that they had left Elsa unguarded, a fact that Hans did not miss. The selfish prince then suddenly kicked Mickey into Sora and tossed his sword directly at Elsa before anyone could stop him. Everything seemed to slow down for a moment as the blade sailed through the air towards the tired and weakened queen, until Anna suddenly jumped in front of the weapon just as her body finally turned to ice. When the blade struck the now frozen Anna, it completely shattered, leaving Elsa to only suffer a few small cuts as a result, but doing little to hide the horrifying fact that lay before everyone's eyes.

Elsa immediately ran around to stand in front of her frozen sister, who had a brave look on her face from when she had jumped in to save Elsa, and immediately started to cry as she hugged Anna's icy form. She was not alone in her sorrow, as Olaf and Kristoff were both very saddened by the sight of Anna, while Mickey was once again hanging his head in sorrow as well, and Kairi had immediately began crying into Sora's shoulder while the boy himself could do nothing more than hold Kairi as she did. As everyone continued to express their sorrow at the apparent loss of Anna, Sora noticed that some of Anna's body seemed to be thawing out and softly exclaimed, "Guys, look."

When they did, they were all completely in awe at what they were seeing. One moment, a finger became unfrozen, and then another, then a hand, then an arm, until finally, Anna's entire body had returned to normal as she breathed a small sigh of relief and smiled at Elsa. Elsa could not do anything more than return Anna's smile with a tearful one of her own before she wrapped her sister in an extremely tight hug that Anna more than happily returned. "I don't get it. What happened," Mickey finally asked, breaking the happy silence. "I thought only an act of true love could unfreeze Anna's heart."

"And it did," Kairi replied. "There's more than one kind of love, so it makes sense that there's more than one kind of true love as well. The kind that comes from romance and the kind that comes from a bond between family members, like sisters."

When Elsa heard that, she gasped in shock as her face lit up in excitement. "That's it," she whispered.

"What," Anna asked.

"I know how to stop the eternal winter now," Elsa replied happily as she started to head down the mountain. "Come on. Let's get to Arendelle as quickly as possible so we can bring back summer!"

No one looked like they were going to argue and so they immediately began to race after the queen of Arendelle, eager to see what she had thought of.

* * *

The initial reaction that most of the townsfolk had when they saw Elsa return with the group was one of fear, but when they heard what had happened from the few people that stayed behind to witness the battle that had taken place, they were immediately outraged by the actions that Prince Hans had taken, and they were even further enraged when they discovered that the Duke of Weselton had ordered his men to kill Elsa the first chance they had. After hearing this, Mickey and Sora immediately stood guard over the offending royalties as everyone else gathered around to watch as Elsa attempted to bring summer back to Arendelle.

"I still don't get it," Kairi said to Elsa as the queen prepared herself for what she was going to do with a bright smile on her face. "How is that you now suddenly know how to bring back summer when you had no clue how to before?"

"It's thanks to all of you that I realized it," Elsa replied. "The power of love can melt even the coldest hearts, and wash away all fears. That's why I could never control my powers before. I was too afraid and always trying to be alone, cut off from everything and everyone I care about. Now, that won't be a problem anymore."

To prove her point, Elsa raised her arms up to the sky, and a minute later, the snow cloud disappeared in a flash of blue dust, and the sun began to shine all across Arendelle, with the snow and ice that had accumulated vanishing in a swirl of blue magic as well. As they looked around, the people could not help but cheer at the sight of their kingdom returning to the natural season for this time of year, while Sora, Kairi, and Mickey were all only able to look on in awe at the sight of Arendelle returning to its original state, and the beautiful sight that came about as a result. Everyone was ecstatic at the sight of summer having returned at last, even Olaf who had started to melt until Elsa made him a little snow cloud that would allow him to never melt no matter how hot it was, and it was truly a happy moment for everyone in Elsa and Anna's kingdom, and for the two sisters as well.

With the natural season now restored, Sora, Mickey, and Kairi were able to help escort Hans and the Duke of Weselton to their ships so that both parties could face proper judgment for their actions upon returning to their respective homes, and the three then left Anna, Elsa and the others to the impromptu party that had ensued afterwards so that they could find a place to talk in private. Mickey looked between Sora and Kairi for a minute, not entirely sure what to expect or even say to them, while the two from the future looked back with neutral expressions until Sora finally broke the very tense silence by asking, "Why'd you do it? Come help us at the end there, I mean."

Mickey looked down in thought for a minute, even though he knew deep down that it was not too hard a question to answer, but he was still having trouble saying it aloud. "I guess…I realized that you were right to call me a coward. I know you never actually said it, but you didn't need to, because only a coward would refuse to help his friends. After that, I just moved and reacted, not really sure what I was doing but still feeling like it was natural for me. I know you're probably thinking that this means I can come help you now, but I'm honestly not sure of that myself. I want to help, but I can't help feeling that I'd just cause more problems."

"Even if you do cause a problem, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you at least try and be there for your friends. That way, you'll have already helped them a great deal," Kairi told Mickey.

"But how can I really help if I don't even know how to believe in anything anymore, including myself," Mickey asked, his eyes pleading the two for an answer.

Sora and Kairi glanced between each other for a minute before Sora knelt down to Mickey and said, "Somehow, I get the feeling that we're not the ones you should be asking the question to, but I do know how you can ask that question to the person you need to ask. Use the D-Link with me, and reach out beyond it to who you need to talk to."

Mickey nodded and closed his eyes as he raised his hand up to Sora, initiating a D-Link as he did. A minute after he did, a flurry of images flashed before him, starting with Sora's life on Destiny Islands before his adventures started, to when the Islands first fell to darkness and his separation from Riku and Kairi, to when he fought against Riku and gave himself up to darkness in order to free Kairi's heart, to nearly every single event that Sora had been through, including all the tragedies and hardships he had faced in the war between light and darkness. "No, stop it," Mickey shouted. "STOP IT!"

"Mickey, just calm down and stay focused," Sora soothed.

"No! I don't want to see this," Mickey protested. "I don't want your suffering! I don't want your future!"

"You can stop it from happening," Kairi calmly stated. "But right now, you need to look past our future, and find yours."

Mickey's distressed state slowly started to calm as he looked for him in Sora's memories, and every event that pertained to him, until finally, the world of Arendelle faded from around him, and he soon found himself lying in what appeared to be Yen Sid's tower, but he was able to tell that it was not because Yen Sid did not seem to register he was there, and he could hear the faint, muffled sounds of a battle being fought close by. He then glanced around the room to see a blonde girl standing to his left, while Kairi lay on a bed opposite of the one he was on, and then looked to see the nearly starless sky out a nearby window before his gaze finally settled on the person he was looking for. Mickey immediately stood up from where he was and walked over to the person before he finally called out, "Mickey?"

The red and white clad version of Mickey Mouse from the future perked up at the sound of his past self's voice, turned around, and then smiled brightly when he saw said past self as he said, "Hello Mickey. It's good to see you're doing alright, given the circumstances."

"How can you say that I'm doing alright after all that I've been through, and all you've been through," Past Mickey asked. "Everything either of us has done has all been for nothing, and now you're in the middle of a war between light and darkness which the light is losing."

"Because I know that we won't lose," Future Mickey replied with absolute certainty. "And that's because we have Sora, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, and Ven to help us, and so many other people as well. You may want to deny it, but I know that deep down, you still believe in the hope that no matter how dark things get there will always be a bright light to guide the way."

"How can I really believe that though? How can I be who you are now, the mouse that I used to be and who you seemed to have become again," Past Mickey asked, showing how desperate he was for the answer with every word. "I can't just keep going without knowing if what I'm doing is right or if it'll only make things worse."

"You're afraid," Future Mickey softly whispered. "I remember all too well, and I know for a fact that I never was who we once were before the point in our lives that you're at. Even though that is the case, that doesn't mean that you can't become better than before. We all face difficult trials in our lives, but its how we come out of those trials after they're over, and how we chose to live our lives afterwards that really tell us who we are. I may have already come out of that trial, but your history is changing from the one I know, so I can't really say that you'll come out the same way. Even so, I know that you'll make the right choice."

"How can you be so sure," Past Mickey asked.

"I'm not. To quote Sora, I just believe that you will, and sometimes that's enough," Future Mickey smiled, and soon after, that smile was immediately reflected on his past self's face. "There's one other reason as well," the future version of the two then added. "You're Mickey Mouse. You can do anything."

The world of the future then vanished from around Past Mickey, and he opened his eyes to see Sora and Kairi looking down at him in apprehension, barely containing how concerned they were for what had happened to the mouse king. Mickey looked from one to the other of the two before him before he finally gave them the smile that they had long since come to associate with Mickey and said, "Gosh Sora, Kairi. You two sure have a lot of friends that are counting on ya to help get this job done, but it looks like you're able to handle it pretty well so long as you know that they believe you'll make it. So since we're pretty much the same, I guess I have to start being like you two and doing everything I can since I know my friends believe in me too."

"So you'll help," Kairi asked, her excitement barely contained within her as she asked.

"You betcha," Mickey replied. "And we'll have everything worked out for the better in no time. I truly believe that."

"Hot dog," Sora exclaimed happily in a slight amount of imitation of the mouse king. The group then heard a loud explosion from the city, and quickly looked to see that there was smoke rising from the town square.

"Well no time like the present to get started," Kairi said as she summoned Destiny's Embrace. The two boys both nodded in agreement as they summoned their own Keyblades as well and raced forward towards the site where the explosion had originated from.

As he went, Sora took a moment to use the D-Link and let Aqua, Terra, and Ven know of their progress. _"Guys, it's Sora. We've got Mickey with us. We've just got to deal with a little situation that likely involves the Unversed and we'll be ready to head out to find that Time Window,"_ Sora reported.

 _"_ _Got it Sora,"_ Aqua replied. _"Oh and I think you'll be happy to know that we're making our way through the Castle That Never Was now, and that we've got an old friend of yours with us now thanks to Terra."_

 _"_ _An old friend,"_ Sora thought to himself before his eyes widened in shock. _"Do you mean Riku?! Riku's with you guys?!"_

 _"_ _Yeah, he's with us,"_ Ventus replied. _"A fact that Roxas is clearly not enjoying all that much seeing as he just learned that Riku is going out with his now freed friend."_

 _"_ _You guys saved Xion too,"_ Sora exclaimed in his mind. _"That's great! This means that Xehanort won't stand a chance against you guys if you run into him while you're there."_

 _"_ _Actually, Xehanort isn't what really concerns us anymore,"_ Terra's voice then revealed, much to Sora's confusion. _"According to Riku, Xion, and Axel, who was apparently working for Yen Sid as a spy, Xehanort's not the one behind all this. There's someone else that Xion says is even more powerful than him. Do you have any ideas who it might be?"_

 _"_ _This is the first I've heard of it,"_ Sora replied. _"If that is the case though, just be careful. You never know what might be lurking around the next corner in that place."_

 _"_ _Not a problem,"_ Aqua replied. _"We're already bracing ourselves for anything as it is, seeing as we may run into Vanitas at any moment now. We'll let you know as soon as something happens."_

With all that said, the group ended the connection, leaving Sora to focus entirely on the upcoming battle, and to also worry a bit both for the safety of his friends in the future, and about the identity of just who this mystery leader that had been pulling the strings of Xehanort's forces really was.

* * *

 ** _AN: Aaaaaaand done! I know that a lot of things changed in comparison to the story of Frozen, but did you really think all that much would stay the same if that world made it into a Kingdom Hearts adventure? Originally, I actually was going to include the trolls in this chapter, but doing so would've made this chapter a little too long for my tastes and probably yours as well._**

 ** _Also, yeah, the two Mickeys had a little chat so that past Mickey could get his fighting spirit back, and good thing too. That was actually one of the most difficult things involved with writing this chapter, depicting Mickey Mouse in a way that shows him as being a sad, broken, shell of who he once was, because let's face it, that kind of thing just doesn't seem possible with Mickey Mouse simply because he's Mickey Mouse. Nuff said._**

 ** _Finally, you know that little character Sora and Kairi met at the beginning there? Surprise! That's ME! In a manner of speaking. You see, I came up with that particular OC as a way for me to pull a Stan Lee in my stories, and this was his big debut appearance. For those of you who are confused by the saying "pull a Stan Lee" I'm talking about how Stan Lee is always able to make some sort of cameo appearance in almost every MARVEL franchise, whether it be the movies or a TV series. So yeah, Dave is an OC avatar that I will be using to put myself in my stories like that, but don't be fooled, he's nothing like I am in real life. Personality wise, yeah, but when it comes to everything else about the guy, he's pretty much just what I wish I could be. A little heads-up, his next appearance will be in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Prime: Chaos Hunters, shh._**

 ** _Now with all those little mysteries cleared up, and the unveiling of my newest OC, Onto the Preview!..._**

 ** _The adventure in two different times continues to unfold, as both the groups in the past and future race against overwhelming odds and face terrible opponents in an effort to return Aqua, Terra, and Ventus to their own time. While the team in the future is able to fight off Vanitas thanks to the combined efforts of Roxas, Riku, and Xion, and then somehow defeat Xehanort in the future as well, they are soon met with a startling revelation that will horrify them to their core. Meanwhile in the past, Mickey, Sora, and Kairi are faced with a terrible Unversed that they can barely stand against, until Sora awakens the next level of his Command Styles. Kairi is then forced to do the same when the three find themselves face to face with none other than Xehanort and Vanitas, but they too are met with a surprise from the two warriors of darkness, and are then frozen in fear when they learn of the discovery that had been made in the future. The discovery of the mysterious leader's identity. Just who is this person that his identity would cause such an upset in our heroes' resolves? Find out the answers next time._**

 ** _Ooooh, the plot thickens! I can barely contain my own anticipation, and I'm the one writing the chapter! But anyways,_**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	16. Terrors in Time

_**AN: And now ladies and gentlemen, it is the moment you've all been waiting for! Yes, this is the chapter in which it is revealed...**_

 _ **Riku: Just how awesome and badass I am! [gets whapped in the head by the author] Ow!**_

 _ **AN: No. It's the chapter where...**_

 _ **Xigbar: Us other Nobodies get some more solid appearance time then just mere metions? [gets whapped in the head by the author]**_

 _ **AN: No! It's the chapter in which...**_

 _ **Vanitas: You'll find fighting, monsters, fighting, emotional moments, and more fighting! [gets whapped in the head by the author] You do know that I'm wearing a helmet right? [gets whapped harder in the head by the author] Ow!**_

 _ **AN: NO! Just stop interrupting and let me say that it's where...**_

 _ **Terra: Sora finally confesses his true feelings to Kairi, they share a romantic kiss, and he then carriers her off to their happily ever after? [looks around to see everyone looking at him like he's gone crazy (Well, crazy than usual)] Okay, first off, I heard that last part! And second, what? Guys like me aren't allowed to like stuff like that too? [gets whapped in the head by the author] Ow!**_

 _ **AN: WHAT PART OF STOP INTERRUPTING DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?! All I'm trying to say is that this is where...**_

 _ **Xehanort: The worlds become mi-[gets hit in the head by a staff that the author twirls around in his hands like a master ninja]**_

 _ **AN: Who else wants a piece of lyokoMARVELanime?**_

 _ **[Everyone immediately backs off]**_

 _ **AN: You know what, forget it. Just get on to the story and find out for yourselves.**_

 _ **Sora: Hey guys, are we starting the new chapter yet? [gets whapped in the head by the author] Ow! What did I do?**_

 _ **AN: You were late. Now, cue disclaimer.**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter XVI**

When one normally thinks of battles throughout time and space, they usually mean that the battles will be remembered throughout time and space. In this case however, there were battles literally happening in such a way, as while Sora, Kairi, and Mickey were fighting in the past in order to bring Aqua, Ven, and Terra home, the three were fighting many different battles in Sora and Kairi's time along with Roxas, Riku, Axel, and Xion. Admittedly, the three from the past had not fought in that many very serious battles since they had arrived on the World That Never Was so far, but that was mostly due to the four from this time insisting that the three should try to keep from fighting as much as possible so that they would be at full strength when they returned to their own time, and so that they did not run the risk of one of them never making it back to said time. The three understood this of course, but that did not mean that they liked it, because they knew for a fact that they could be of a great help to Roxas and the others if they would just be allowed to help. Still, they were able to swallow their protests and do as Roxas had asked if for no other reason than the fact that the four leading them through the castle knew more about their current surroundings than they did.

Of course, knowledge on the location soon became unimportant, as they soon found themselves facing a figure that the entire group knew in the Hall of Empty Melodies. "Well, look who it is," Vanitas commented in his usual smug tone. "A band of traitors and the three prodigal masters. Never thought that I'd run into you three idiots again, or that you'd betray us Riku and Xion."

"It's not really betrayal if you're there against your will," Riku retorted as he summoned his Keyblade, Way to the Dawn.

"Whatever," Vanitas simply shrugged as he summoned his own Keyblade, Void Gear. "But on the subject of stuff that should be obvious, another thing that's plain as day is that you can't beat me. Just ask those three idiots over there. They know that better than any of you since we've been playing this little game since you were just a little brat, Riku, and yet they're still all pathetic compared to me."

"We'll show you who's pathetic," Terra shouted as he prepared to charge in, only to be stopped when Xion suddenly raised her Keyblade in front of him.

"Let us handle him," Xion told Terra. "You guys just relax. Riku, Roxas, and I have a few choice words that we'd like to have with him before he ends up heading for the next life."

"No way," Aqua protested. "I don't care how long you guys have been around him. You guys have no idea just how much he's really capable of, not like the three of us do. Right Ven?"

Surprisingly, Ven did not say anything, and when everyone looked to see why that was, they saw that he was staring at Vanitas with a very intense look, like he was analyzing every inch of the masked boy. After another minute of looking at him, Ven finally asked, "Who are you?"

Everything was silent at that point until Vanitas finally let out a loud laugh that seemed to echo throughout the hall and asked, "What is that a serious question? I knew you were an idiot, Ven, but come on! I thought for sure you'd recognize your dark half."

"Cut the crap and answer the question," Ven snapped. "Who are you, and why are you trying to sell this little act of yours?"

"Ven, have you lost it," Terra asked. "That's Vanitas. You know, the masked boy who controls the Unversed, is Xehanort's right-hand man, the embodiment of your darkness after Xehanort extracted it from you, and basically a guy that made yours, mine, and Aqua's lives hell for Kingdom Hearts knows how long?"

"I know who Vanitas is, Terra, but there's something about this guy that doesn't seem like Vanitas," Ventus finally revealed. "I can't really explain it, but every time I'm around Vanitas, I'd always get a strange feeling that's hard to put into words. I know it's probably because Vanitas used to be a part of me, but with this guy I can't feel anything but emptiness. It's like it's someone else using Vanitas's body, but it's still enough of the guy himself to make you think he's the real thing."

"If you're done yammering on, I'd like to actually get this party started," Vanitas then cut in. "You can talk all you want to about feelings later, maybe even have Aqua there finally admit her true feelings about one of you two idiots while you're at it, but right now, I'd much rather destroy you first."

"Then you'll have to get through us first," Roxas shouted as he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion while standing between Xion and Riku, who were both ready to fight. They did not really pay attention to the fact that Aqua was blushing from Vanitas's last comment, and were also unable to comment on it themselves if they did notice, as Vanitas had just charged in with his Keyblade ready to strike. Riku and Xion both dived to the side while Roxas intercepted Vanitas's Keyblade with both of his own, locking the dark warrior's weapon in place long enough for Riku and Xion to rush at him from either side. The two were about to slash their blades through him, when Vanitas managed to vanish at the last second and then slam a powerful hit into Roxas's back.

Vanitas then fired a barrage of dark, energy orbs at the group, but thankfully, Riku was still able to use some of his less powerful dark powers, and was able to throw up a Dark Shield in front of them just before the orbs hit. Xion then dived out from behind the shield and ran right up to Vanitas, swinging her Keyblade at him as fiercely as she could, and managed to score a few hits before Vanitas eventually managed to jump back and then cartwheel away from Xion, preventing her from getting in close again. That did not prove to be a problem for Riku, as he was quick to fire off a continuous burst of his Dark Cannon that landed a few good hits on Vanitas before driving him directly into Roxas's line of attack. By the time Vanitas seemed to realize what Riku had done, it was already too late, as Roxas had unleashed a powerful, dual-outward strike that sent Vanitas flying across the massive room and onto his back.

"Is that all you got," Riku smirked boastingly. "I thought that the mighty Vanitas was supposed to be tougher than this."

"Riku, sweetie, can you please not encourage the insane masked boy into trying to destroy us anymore than he already is," Xion pleaded with Riku.

"As much as I want to gag at hearing her call you 'sweetie', she does have a point," Roxas agreed, giving a small gag reflex at the word "sweetie" all the same and getting slapped in the arm by Xion in response when he did. "There's no way he's actually going all out."

"Please," Riku scoffed as he flipped some of his hair out of his face. "If he had anymore to give then don't you think he would've given it by now?"

"Considering this is Vanitas we're talking about, no, he wouldn't," Xion immediately denied. "He prefers to play with his targets before giving them real hell."

"Relax babe, he's down and we've won, end of story," Riku just waved off, until he was suddenly blasted back by a sudden surge of dark lightning. When Roxas and Xion looked to the source, they saw Vanitas just landing on the ground and reassuming his usual battle stance, immediately letting them know that it was the masked boy who had fired the blast.

"End of story, huh," Roxas asked as he readied his Keyblades again while Riku managed to get back to his feet and rejoin him and Xion.

"Shut up, Blondie," Riku snapped.

"Make me, asshole," Roxas retorted.

"Hey watch it Roxas, or Aqua's going to get on you for language," Xion said in a slightly teasing tone that was clearly directed at both Roxas and Aqua.

"Am I seriously getting made fun of for that right now," Aqua asked. "I mean I'm not that bad, right?"

Terra and Ven immediately found either the floor or the ceiling very interesting when Aqua asked them that question, while Roxas charged in to strike at Vanitas once again, only for the masked boy to disappear into the ground before reappearing directly under Roxas and sending him flying into the air with a sudden attack. Xion immediately tried to rush in and help Roxas, but Vanitas was quick to use the same trick on her that he had on her blonde friend, and Xion was quickly knocked into Roxas just as the boy had regained his balance in mid-air. Riku just watched the ground for a moment, where he could see the signs of where Vanitas was moving beneath it, and as soon as the dark hole that represented Vanitas's location started to get close to him, unlike his two comrades, Riku immediately dashed back for a few seconds, letting Vanitas hit nothing but air when he jumped out of the ground again, and then raced in with a powerful slash through Vanitas before the masked boy could sink into the ground again.

"You're not the only one who's ever pulled that trick," Riku told Vanitas menacingly.

"Maybe, but at least I know just what the powers of darkness can really give me, unlike you, who gave it all up because of some stupid, dopey-eyed girl who isn't even alive," Vanitas retorted. "I honestly can't see why you'd even fall for her at all when she's not even a real person. It's just some puppet that's desperately trying to cut its strings."

Anything more Vanitas would've said on the matter was immediately cut off when he was suddenly blasted across the room by an unknown force, and he then glanced up to see that it had come from a very pissed off Riku. "You say so much as one more insult about her, and not only will I tear you apart from the inside out, but I'll use whatever's left of you as a sweater for a kitten," Riku shouted as he flung his Keyblade forward, releasing a more powerful Dark Cannon blast than all the ones he had fired before.

Riku then became little more than a blur, as he raced around Vanitas and attacked him from all sides, leaving the masked boy with little chance to defend himself as Riku did. When Riku seemed to let up on his attacks for a minute, Vanitas thought he could breathe a sigh of relief before resuming his own strikes, but that was before he saw Riku had only stopped to gear up for a Dark Cannon barrage that seemed to pepper Xehanort's subordinate endlessly. As he watched this go on from where he and Xion were currently sitting, unable to move much due to how caught up they were at the sight of Riku's fight, Roxas had to say, "Okay, I'll admit it. He's not…as much of an asshole as I thought he was."

"Roxas," Xion warned her brother-like friend.

"What? You seriously expect me to say something better or something," Roxas asked as he finally stood up. "Just be glad that he's gotten a little bit on my good side because of how seriously he's defending you. Now are you going to just sit there, or are you going to help me help the jerk you've somehow fallen in love with?"

Xion was about to snap at Roxas again for calling Riku a jerk, but she elected to do it later when she saw that Riku had finally been forced to let up on his Dark Cannon barrage due to the lack of energy necessary and simply stood up and readied Two Become One for action once again. Before either of the two made a move to charge in though, they noticed that Vanitas's mask had cracked a bit, showing some of his face, and a minute later, the rest of the mask faded away, until it left a shockingly familiar visage to greet them. While Vanitas's eyes were the same shade of clear, empty silver that Riku's and Xion's had been a few moments ago, the rest of his face and hair style was very similar to Roxas and Ventus's that it was honestly starting to scare the two a bit. "Okay seriously, just how many people in this time look like me," Ven moaned.

No one seemed to acknowledge Ven's voiced annoyance, as Vanitas just glared at his three opponents, fiercely before he finally charged in and unleashed a ferocity that he had not shown before in the battle. Riku was immediately on the defensive, but it did him little good, as Vanitas's attacks had become far too fast for him to keep up with, and the same was said for his spells as well, as they seemed to just rocket towards their targets the minute Vanitas had cast them. Xion was quick to try and assist Riku, and was able to score a few decent hits on Vanitas before the evil Keyblade Wielder finally managed to slip away from Xion's attacks and then strike her from behind with his usual afterimage-teleport ability. Thankfully, Xion was able to save herself from the same brutal attack that Riku had been dealt by using her Keyblade to summon a series of Nobody Thorns in order to shield her, and that ended up being just the opening that Roxas needed as he moved in to attack. Using the Nobody Thorns that Xion had summoned, Roxas catapulted himself into the air and spun his Keyblades around in his hands before he dived down towards Vanitas, and drove a powerful series of slashes across Vanitas's form until he finally finished with a powerful dual-slash that caused the formerly masked boy to crash into the floor.

When Roxas landed, Xion dismissed the Nobody Thorns, and Riku finally managed to stand, they all looked to where Vanitas had crashed down and saw that he was not moving at all. Aqua cautioned everyone to be careful, as she had made the mistake of thinking Vanitas was beaten once before when she saw that he was not moving, but after watching him lie where he was for a few minutes, it did not seem that Vanitas was going to get back up again. "Well, that's over," Riku finally said as he dismissed his Keyblade after Roxas and Xion had done the same.

A minute later though, everyone was on their guard again when Vanitas's body began to glow for a minute, but a minute after it did, Vanitas's body began to seem like it was breaking apart like glass until it finally shattered and vanished into thin air. Everyone could only look on in confusion as to what just happened, as this was the first time any of them had seen a defeated enemy disappear in such a way, but they decided to put it aside for later when Roxas said, "Let's keep moving. The room that the Time Window's in is just up ahead."

Everyone immediately nodded, and then took off after their blonde guide as he led them into another corridor of the Castle That Never Was. As they were moving, Aqua took a minute to use the D-Link to contact Sora and reported, _"Sora, we've just dealt with Vanitas, and it looks like you won't have to worry about him again in your time. How're things on your end?"_

 _"_ _Honestly, it could be worse, all things considered. I mean sure, we're about to fight for our lives against a massive monster, but still could be worse,"_ Sora admitted through the D-Link.

* * *

 **Arendelle (The Past)**

The massive monster that Sora had mentioned when Aqua called was actually a huge Unversed that had driven the people of Arendelle to run for safety in the castle while Sora, Mickey, and Kairi dealt with it. Sora and Kairi were quick to admit that they had never seen anything like the hammer wielding beast before them, but Mickey was not hesitant to fill them in, saying that it was an Unversed that was known as the Iron Imprisoner, and that apparently it was in its final and most powerful form. "I just wish I knew why it was here," Mickey then stated. "As far as I know, that monster never leaves Mirage Arena, no matter what form it's in. I'm not sure if the reason is because it can't leave or something else, but I do know for a fact that this is the first time it's ever been outside of that world before."

"Doesn't matter," Sora immediately stated as he readied his Keyblade. "It's still causing trouble and attacking innocent people, so now it's gotta go, and we're the ones who're going to make it go."

Kairi and Mickey both nodded in agreement with Sora, and assumed a ready stance before they all charged forward, ready to strike at the monster of Mirage Arena. The Iron Imprisoner was quick to react to the Keybearers' charge, and immediately swung its massive hammer at the three, creating a large, flaming shockwave when it hit the ground which Sora just barely escaped getting singed by. Sora then rolled backwards a bit before charging in once more, and unleashed a series of attacks on the monster until he was finally able to channel the energy within him and unleash his Destiny Blaze Command Style, which he then used to strike at the Iron Imprisoner with again, this time with a Ghost Keyblade in his free hand. Mickey was slightly shocked to see that Sora was able to use such a powerful Command Style so quickly, but he was quickly brought back to the situation when he saw that Sora had just barely managed to avoid getting hit the Iron Imprisoner's massive fist. The mouse quickly fired off a series of Holy spells that forced the Unversed away from Sora, allowing Kairi to cast a healing spell on her friend while she had the chance as Mickey charged in and slashed at the Iron Imprisoner with fast strikes that only someone of Mickey's size could execute.

Kairi was soon forced to cast a Reflect spell around her and her friends when she saw that Iron Imprisoner had leapt into the air and unleashed a powerful fire blast from its hammer, and while the spell did not completely deflect the damage, it did allow Kairi to enter her Shooting Star Command Style, and she then charged ahead and fired off a barrage of spells and magic darts as she raced around the Iron Imprisoner. It seemed that the three would be able to finish the battle quickly and end the Iron Imprisoner's reign of terror and destruction before anyone got hurt, but sadly, no one is ever that fortunate, as the Unversed was soon able to land a powerful blow on all three of the Keybearers that were fighting it, and Sora soon found that he was the only one that was able to land on his feet, as Mickey and Kairi had taken the full brunt of the attack.

When he caught just a passing glimpse of how injured Kairi was, Sora had immediately turned a dark glare towards the monster they were fighting and charged in to face the Unversed alone. Thanks to his Destiny Blaze Command Style, Sora's speed was able to keep him ahead of the Iron Imprisoner's attacks, while allowing him to attack the monster at high speeds that seriously injured the monster. Eventually, Sora had to cast a Thundaga spell in order to evade a barrage of debris that the monster had lifted up telekinetically to throw at him, and a minute after the dust cleared, everyone was able to see that the glow around Sora's body had changed from its usual shinning silver to a radiant red, as a ghost version of the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade appeared in his free hand, while a ghost version of the Way to the Dawn Keyblade appeared on his back. When Mickey and Kairi were finally able to stand and look over to where Sora was, Mickey's eyes immediately widened in disbelief as he whispered, "Could it be?"

"It is," Kairi exclaimed happily as her Shooting Star Command Style's glow seemed to shine more brightly along with her smile. "It's Sora's Tier Two Command Style!"

Sora was soon off like a rocket, as he attacked the Iron Imprisoner with all three of the Keyblades he was now wielding in a manner that was similar to how he fought with his Final Form, as he sent one Keyblade flying telekinetically, while the other two remained in his hands until he sent them flying off against his enemy in the same manner. As he attacked, Sora seemed to float through the air, until he finally brought all three Keyblades around him and fired off a blast of bright, white energy that seemed to blast the massive Unversed away until it nearly crashed into a nearby building. Way to the Dawn's ghost image then drifted back to its original position behind Sora's back as the other two Keyblades returned to his hands just in time for Sora to shout, "Command Style: Trinity Blade Finisher!"

The next thing that happened was Sora racing around and throwing the three Keyblades at his opponent telekinetically once again, and forming a faint image of the crown symbol on his necklace. When the image was finally formed completely, the two Ghost Keyblades positioned themselves in striking position of their target, and Sora then fired a beam of energy from the Kingdom Key that tore through the center of both the crown symbol and the Iron Imprisoner, just as the two Ghost Keyblades did the same, releasing a blinding explosion of light. When the energy form his Command Style finally faded, Sora landed on the ground and watched as the Iron Imprisoner stumbled for a minute until it finally vanished in a burst of smoke.

Kairi and Mickey were both quick to race over to Sora, and the minute she was close enough, the auburn haired girl immediately tackled Sora with a tight hug as she shouted, "Sora, you did it! You beat that monster and you learned your Tier Two Command Style! That was amazing!"

"Awe it was nothing," Sora smiled modestly as he returned Kairi's hug with a slight blush reaching his face as he did.

"I wouldn't say that Sora," Mickey said happily. "That was probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Defeating the Iron Imprisoner's final form in Mirage Arena alone is no easy feat, but doing so in the way that you did is beyond anything I've ever seen before. You should be proud of what you've accomplished."

Sora smiled brightly in thanks to Mickey before he and Kairi finally released each other from their hug, and the girl quickly moved to contact Aqua and the others. _"Aqua, we're all done here and are ready to head out in order to find where the Time Window is looking at,"_ Kairi called out through the D-Link. _"Are you guys almost at the Window itself?"_

 _"_ _Not quite,"_ Aqua replied.

 _"_ _Well, where are you guys,"_ Sora asked as he joined in on the D-Link.

 _"_ _We're face to face with Xehanort himself,"_ Terra answered, and when she and Sora heard that, Kairi immediately began to worry a great deal for their friends' safety.

* * *

 **The Castle That Never Was (The Future)**

They had all been hoping that it would not come to this, praying that it would not happen even, but sadly all their hopes and prayers were in vain as they now saw that they would have to battle Xehanort to reach their goal, for the fallen Keyblade Master was blocking their path to the room that Roxas had confirmed was where the Time Window was. None of them really enjoyed thinking about fighting against Xehanort for various reasons, but unfortunately, there was not likely to be any chance that they could do otherwise, as he had already summoned his Keyblade to his hand and was now holding it at the ready for battle. Each of the five Keybearers had immediately summoned their own Keyblades in response as Axel summoned his chakrams, and the two sides were now in the midst of a silent stand-off, a fact that peaked Terra's curiosity.

"Something's not right here," Terra muttered.

"You mean the fact that Xehanort himself is guarding the very place that we need to get into? Yeah, you'd be right. He never does this sort of thing himself," Roxas whispered in return.

"I'll admit that is a strange fact, but that's not what I mean," Terra told them. "He's not said so much as one word since we got here. Xehanort doesn't normally keep quiet unless he's observing something or someone in the off-chance that it might give him some benefit somewhere down the line, or unless he's really serious about something. He's always talking before a battle that he's sure he can win, and sometimes even during it. Always trying to throw his opponent off by knowing just what to say in order to do so."

"Terra's right," Aqua agreed. "There's no way the Xehanort that we know would stay quiet at the mere sight of this. Either he's going to be fighting seriously right from the start, or there's something else going on here."

"Meaning we should try to be careful and take him together," Xion asked, getting a nod in response from the blunette.

"I've got a better idea; I'm going take him now," Riku then shouted as he charged forward to strike the elder master, despite everyone's cries of protest. When he was finally close enough, Riku made a massive leap towards Xehanort, only to hit an invisible wall and then be sent flying across the room a minute later. Xion was quick to run to over to Riku's side to make sure he was okay, and he immediately gave a small groan in response as he led the way back towards the others. He never made it though, as he soon hit an invisible barrier that knocked him back into Xion's arms.

"He's raised a battlefield barrier," Axel exclaimed, and he then prepared to toss his chakrams at Xehanort, but the old man quickly raised a hand towards the redhead and his fellow Nobody, and caused a sudden burst of powerful wind to send them both flying back to where Riku and Xion were. When they realized what had happened, Axel and Roxas both threw hateful glares in Xehanort's direction, as the madman now had completely isolated them from Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, leaving the three from the past to fight the fallen Keyblade Master on their own.

The three had only glanced back to where their friends were, knowing that the battlefield barrier would prevent them from helping while keeping the three of them from getting out until someone won the current battle that they had been entrapped in, before turning their full attention to Xehanort, who merely smiled his usual small, sinister smile as he finally commented, "I never thought I would encounter so much as one of you three again, let alone all three of you, but then again, this war has been filled with many strange and unexpected surprises. I wonder how those colorful friends of yours are doing at the moment, though. It will be on your heads if any of them die. Of course, one of you does have a way to end this now if he would just give in to darkness. Isn't that right, Terra? Or perhaps, if you somehow managed to create the χ-blade on your own, perhaps you could end it all Ventus, but it more than likely would cause you to sacrifice everything you hold dear."

"Save your breath, Xehanort," Terra shouted. "Nothing you say is going to save you or allow you to tear the three of us apart again."

"And even if there was a chance of that happening, then would you really want to make the same mistake twice," Ventus then asked, gaining a curious glance from Xehanort in response.

"You made a big mistake in causing us to be torn apart, thinking that it would weaken us, but what you didn't know is that you've only made us stronger as comrades, as a team, as friends, and as a family," Aqua stated. "But the greatest mistake you made was destroying a member of that family, and now, you're finally going to pay for that and all your other crimes up until now!"

The minute Aqua had shouted that last word the three friends had immediately summoned forth their armors and charged into battle with Ventus taking the lead, ready to make the first strike. Xehanort was quick to move out of the way of Ven's attack in a flash and then grab Ven by his helmet before throwing the boy into Aqua, leaving Terra to continue charging, and end up being the only one to get close enough to so much as swing his Keyblade on their opponent for an attack. Xehanort was quick to respond to Terra's strike by raising his Keyblade to defend himself, the whole time holding one arm behind his back like he was not even trying to take the fight seriously, but Terra knew full well that the fallen master was, and immediately followed up by swinging a series of powerful strikes at Xehanort with everything he had, until he had finally built up enough energy to release his Critical Impact Command Style. Terra was just about to use the power said Command Style granted him, but Xehanort proved to be too quick for the young man, and immediately blasted Terra away with a sudden burst of dark magic.

Terra quickly discarded his now damaged helmet before moving to stand up again, and then looked up just in time to see Xehanort getting blasted away from him by a sudden Blizzaga spell, courtesy of Aqua. Aqua then casted a number of spells afterwards, allowing her to enter her Spellweaver Command Style soon after, which gave Ven enough time to run up and strike at Xehanort with a series of fast paced strikes, allowing him to enter his Fever Pitch Command Style. Ven then proceeded to use the power of Fever Pitch to strike at Xehanort from all sides as fast as he could, before breaking off for a few seconds to allow Terra to unleash some more powerful attacks with Critical Impact. Whenever Xehanort managed to shake one of the two off, he was immediately put on guard again when Aqua fired a number of magic orbs from her Keyblade using Spellweaver and sometimes even from Aqua's Keyblade, which she threw at him telekinetically, giving the two boys enough time to get up and get in close once more.

From where they were standing on the sidelines, it would seem to the average person that the three had the battle well in hand, but Roxas, Axel, Xion, and Riku all knew that was far from the case, as Xehanort had barely even started fighting. This quickly proved true when Xehanort suddenly teleported himself out of the threes combined assault, and to the other side of the battlefield before raising a hand and casting a powerful ice spell that froze Terra in his tracks, while blasting Ven and Aqua with a powerful thunder spell from overhead. Aqua quickly jumped over Ven as she cast a reflect spell to protect them, but she was not expecting the ground to suddenly rise up beneath them and send them hurtling into the air. Ven was quick to cushion their fall with a well-timed wind spell just as Terra broke free of the ice and moved to attack Xehanort once again, but Xehanort quickly teleported away, placing a reasonable amount of distance between him and the three apprentices of Eraqus, and fired off another barrage of powerful spells once more.

Aqua was honestly surprised that they were able to survive the second round without suffering any injury, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they would be too tired to avoid the barrage completely and took the full force of it, and that was the point when she knew she and her friends would have to end it quickly using every trick that they had. A simple glance was all it took to convey these thoughts to both Terra and Ven, and Terra immediately made the first move by using a powerful sword ability that Eraqus had taught him, known as Zantetsuken, to deal some series damage to Xehanort in a flash, and then using the resulting energy to enter Dark Impulse.

Terra was quick to unleash a powerful barrage of dark based attacks on Xehanort, effectively giving the fallen master a taste of his own medicine, while ignoring everything that Xehanort said to try and throw him off, giving Ven and Aqua the chance to each cast a magnet spell to hold Xehanort in place while Aqua fired a thunder spell, allowing them both to enter their own Tier Two Command Styles. Aqua then teleported from where she was standing to deal some damage to Xehanort, but after landing a few powerful hits with her Keyblade, Xehanort teleported away. Unfortunately, Xehanort was not paying attention to where he was teleporting to, so he ended up being right in the path of Ven's attacks, as he used the Wingblade Command Style to unleash multiple strikes using the six energy swords that had formed around him. When Xehanort teleported away again to try and cast another powerful thunder spell, Aqua immediately followed him using Ghost Drive and attacked as well.

Aqua landed a few more hits using her Ghost Drive's high-speed powers before she finally shouted, "Terra, now!"

"Command Style: Dark Impulse Finisher," Terra shouted before disappearing into the ground. Xehanort barely even glimpsed where the dark spot signifying where Terra was before the boy burst up from beneath him and sent him flying into the air with a blow from a massive, clawed hand of dark energy. A cry from Terra signaled Ven to run in, strike at Xehanort while he was in the air without giving the blonde's former master a chance to recover from Terra's attack, and then send the bald man soaring into the ground just as Ven geared up for his own Command Style's finisher.

"Command Style: Wingblade Finisher," Ven shouted as he threw down the energy swords around Xehanort, and then dived down into the center of the circle to release a burst of light that both blinded and severely harmed Xehanort. Seeing this Aqua immediately teleported over and pulled Ven clear of Xehanort while he was disoriented, and then charged in to deal the final blow.

"Command Style: Ghost Drive Finisher," Aqua shouted as she then teleported around Xehanort at high speeds, placing a series of light pillars around him. Once the last pillar was placed Aqua then appeared in the air, and unleashed another powerful burst of magic energy with a wave of her Keyblade. The eyes of the warriors outside the barrier had all widened when they saw that Xehanort was actually struggling to stand and stumbled a little with each step. Xehanort's eyes did not seem completely cleared due to the two bursts of bright light that had assaulted him, but they were clear enough to be able to fall directly onto Aqua's form, and the minute they had, those same eyes narrowed in deadly anger as he slowly raised his Keyblade and ran forward in a desperate attempt to end the young woman's life.

Aqua was a little shocked that Xehanort was even able to move after being hit by the most powerful Command Styles of her and her friends', but the sight of Xehanort charging towards her in an attempt to end her life, even if it was a desperate one, had caught her completely off guard to the point where she was almost completely frozen in place. The others were all shouting for her to move away or hit Xehanort, but Aqua could not do either as she was unable to register that it was actually happening. Thankfully, someone was able to do something, as evidenced when Ven suddenly raced over to Aqua and shoved her aside just as Xehanort's blade was coming down, leading the now weakened, fallen master to miss his target and fall flat on his face, and his Keyblade then vanished due to the lack of energy that its wielder now possessed.

When Xehanort tried to stand up again, he saw that Terra was now standing over him with Ends of the Earth held directly at the dark master. Xehanort looked between Terra's scowling face and the sight of Ven helping Aqua to her feet again before he finally closed his eyes a bit as he slowly sat himself upright and weakly said, "So it would seem…that I had indeed made…a very foolish error…in thinking that…I could defeat the three of you again."

"Don't think that the first time will go the same way as before though," Terra said. "Once we get back, this will just be a matter of history repeating, because we will stop you before any of this can happen."

Xehanort only chuckled a bit in response as he said, "And yet you are all still so foolish. You would rather place blame for terrible events on those who you deem the most dangerous being, believing that he is the most likely, while never once suspecting that the true culprit may be one that you would never suspect."

"What are you talking about," Ven demanded as he looked over in the direction of his friend and former teacher along with Aqua.

Xehanort seemed like he was about to respond when he suddenly cried out in pain. The sudden outburst had caught everyone completely off guard, both due to its suddenness and the sheer volume of the scream, as it seemed loud enough to resonate all across the entire world and perhaps even beyond. A minute later Xehanort's right hand suddenly shattered like glass, bringing a look of pure, true horror to Xehanort's face when he saw this, and a minute later, one of his legs burst apart in the same way, causing him to fall to his face once again. He then looked up to the sky as he propped himself up on the arm that was still fully intact as another piece of his body shattered and shouted, "No please! I beg you, don't do this! Please, I just need another moment! PLEASE DON'T DESTROY ME!" Sadly, his pleas remained unanswered as he continued to shatter apart bit by bit, while the others could only stand and watch. Seeing that he was not going to receive aid from whomever was doing this to him, Xehanort then turned his attention to someone who he thought would. "Terra, my boy! Ventus, my student, please. Help me," Xehanort pleaded.

Terra only stared at Xehanort hatefully before he simply turned away, silently saying no to the man, and prompting Xehanort to turn his surprisingly pleading gaze towards Ven. As he looked on at the weakening man who was falling apart bit by bit, pleading him to save his life, Ven could only return Xehanort's gaze with a very cold one of his own before he finally shook his head and said, "You pushed me till I broke, nearly destroyed me in a crazy attempt to acquire a power that should've been left alone, endangered mine and my friends' lives in your schemes, and killed my real master. I am not your student, I never was, and there will never be anything you could ever teach me except what it really means to be a monster."

Xehanort looked on in horror, hardly believing that the two boys were not going to help him, and then pleaded even more, hoping that they would save him, or that one of the seven people before him would take pity on him, but it only served to show that Xehanort had now become nothing more than a pathetic shell of the man he once was. Eventually though, someone did finally seem to answer the old man's pleas and finally approach him, though it was not someone that Xehanort expected. It was so beyond surprising in fact, that Xehanort's pleas had gone completely silent when he saw that Aqua had begun walking towards him. She had since removed her helmet, and Xehanort could see the unreadable expression on Aqua's face clear as day, but while her expression betrayed no intentions, her actions seemed to indicate that she was going to help him. It was natural to understand why he started to smile a little at this, just as it was expected that his smile was quickly replaced with a look of horror that was shared by everyone else when she finally reached him.

Instead of reaching out to help Xehanort, Aqua had instead raised her Keyblade and then driven it right through Xehanort with an angry cry, much to everyone's astonishment. Xehanort struggled to speak, but found that all he could do was listen as Aqua said, "My name is Master Aqua, and Xehanort you nearly killed one of my best friends, tried to destroy my bond with both of my best friends, and killed my master and father. You will never hurt anyone in _anyway_ , or rob anyone of _anything_ ever again."

Xehanort tried to reach up and grasp something, as if he were desperate to find some way to save himself from his now inevitable fate, but in the end, it was not long before he seemed to completely break apart, shattering like glass, and leaving nothing but a few sparks of light and darkness in his place, which eventually just faded away into nothing after floating through the air for a few seconds. A minute after the last few sparks started to vanish, Aqua's armor had vanished and she dropped to her knees, and then immediately started to openly sob at what she had just done. Everyone could only stare in shock and sympathy for the poor, sobbing girl, who was now muttering something beneath her sobs that none of them could understand, until Ven finally walked over to stand in front of Aqua, and placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her gaze up to him. Aqua looked at Ven for another minute or so, and then flung herself forward into his arms and then started sobbing into Ven's shoulder as he hugged her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"It's okay," Ven whispered into Aqua's ear. "He would've done far worse to others if you didn't do what you did. He didn't leave us any other choice, and if you hadn't done it, one of us would've had to. You made the right call Aqua, and the fact that you're this broken up about it proves that you're better than him. Just let it all out now, okay? I hate to see you cry."

Aqua only whimpered a little as she nodded into Ven's shoulder, and then continued to cry even as Terra walked over and placed a hand on his friend and sister's shoulder, feeling just as terrible about seeing her cry like this as Ven did. The poor girl had always been the best of them in terms of her moral compass, always knowing what the right thing was and what should not be done to deal with something, and given what had happened to the three of them since their journey had first started that day when they first heard of the Unversed, Terra was honestly shocked that Aqua had not fallen apart like this sooner. He truly hated seeing her foundation collapse like this, and he could only wish that he could go back to the beginning and stop himself from playing such a large part in shaking it so much.

When Aqua's sobs had finally died down enough, Xion stepped up and then whispered something that shocked them all. "That wasn't the real Xehanort."

"What," Axel gasped. "Come on Xion. Of course it was the real Xehanort. That was the exact same guy that we've always seen before whenever he appeared in the Round Room to meet with all of us and the rest of the guys that work for him."

"I know, and I'm telling you he wasn't Xehanort," Xion insisted. "Yes, he is the same person that we've always seen every time before, but there was something about him that I could sense which no one else could."

"Oh yeah," Roxas mused. "I remember you telling me and Axel about that. I didn't really think much of it because I just got an uneasy feeling from him that made me want to avoid him as much as I could, while Axel and Riku both thought you were being silly or getting jitters whenever he was around since you were the newest of the group."

"Right," Xion nodded. "And after a while I was starting to believe that too, but after what just happened I don't, because I finally know what that feeling I got from him was. It was a sense of familiarity. Not like from a person or place you've met before, but from something that's similar to you in a way."

"That's crazy! You're nothing like that psycho," Riku protested.

"I know that, but I didn't mean in the way that you think," Xion stated. "I meant in the sense of what we are."

"Wait, are you saying that you think he was…," Axel started to ask, having reached the conclusion that Xion had.

Xion just nodded as she explained. "I once read a few things from Vexen's notes about what would happen if I was to end, including what would be seen while it happened, and if what we just saw happen to Xehanort was any indication, then Vexen's notes were very accurate, and Xehanort has been nothing more than a figurehead, and if I had to guess from what we saw earlier, Vanitas was the same as Xehanort."

"What're you getting at," Terra finally asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Roxas said before Xion could reply. "Right now, we need to secure the Time Window so you guys can get back. Axel, Xion, and I will go and take a look at things while you guys wait here with Riku."

Riku nodded in acceptance of this as the three friends quickly went in to do as the Dual-Keyblade Wielder said they would, as the others all either sat on the floor or against the wall, each of the three from the past all wondering just what it was that Xion was implying earlier, with only Terra voicing the question. "Just what the hell were they talking about?!"

"Isn't it obvious? They were saying that Xehanort is a clone, and that he has been as such for many years now," a new, deep, cold voice that none of the group left outside the Time Window room recognized, and they were all instantly on their feet and turning to face the person who spoke as soon as they heard his voice. When they did, they saw the very man that was truly in control of the forces of darkness, decked out in his extravagant version of the Organization XIII coat with his hood up, stepping forward from the shadows.

"Who are you," Ven demanded.

"I am the true master of the forces of darkness," the hooded man replied. "I thought that much was obvious."

"What did you mean earlier when you said that Xehanort had been a clone for years," Aqua then asked.

"Ah, now we have a question that hasn't been fully answered yet," the figure then remarked, making a grand gesture of the situation as he did, yet still keeping his calm, cool voice. "You see, what no one knows is that Xehanort has actually been dead for years. Perished at the hands of none other than our dear Master Aqua of the Keyblade, and his creation Vanitas had perished a short time before that because he could not keep Ventus at bay or the power of the χ-blade under control, leaving his body to be destroyed by the same master who ended Xehanort. Sadly, Aqua was lost to the Realm of Darkness soon after because she was foolish enough to try and save a friend alone, and so she had no idea that someone was able to take some of the DNA of Xehanort and the remaining energy in his Keyblade to create another of him that was completely under that person's control. My control and it was also because of me that all of this is possible. The artificial Nobodies, the fall of Radiant Garden into Hollow Bastion, Riku's turning to darkness, it's all thanks to me."

"But why create a clone of Xehanort and Vanitas? Why create Xion and the artificial Nobodies," Terra asked. "What's the point of you doing all this, especially if you're going to let someone else take the fall?"

"They say that the most dangerous being is the one that you never see, and that when evil is given a face not only is it less feared, but no one thinks to look for its real face," the figure replied. "By letting the worlds believe that it was Xehanort who was behind it all, I was free to do as I desired and proceed with the true goals of this war."

"And that would be," Aqua then asked.

"Not something you should concern yourself with just yet if at all my old friends."

"Old friends," Riku then repeated in confusion. "Let me guess, this is the part where you make the big reveal and then we say something like 'Holy cow! Braig, or Maleficent's devil mother, or Pete!' Come on, please be Pete."

"Oh don't insult me. None of those who you've encountered before could even come close to matching the power or the plans that I possess. If anything, you all know that better than anyone. After all, three of you taught me some of my most powerful abilities while you taught me how to handle a sword, Riku," the figure then said as he finally lifted his hands up and pulled back his hood to reveal his face to them, and the minute he did, the four had immediately wished that he had not, for it was the face of someone that they wished they did not recognize.

"You…you're…" Terra whispered as his arm dropped due to his Keyblade suddenly feeling much heavier.

"But that's…this is impossible," Ven protested.

"Tell me that this is a bad dream. This just…it can't be," Riku silently begged as he and Ven both did the same as Terra.

"Ah the timeless clichés. Why is it that people always go right to those in these situations," the figure then remarked, his tone indicating that he did not actually care all that much and only said it to make fun of them.

"You…you're the ruler of darkness? Tell me this is a lie. How could you possibly be the one to do all this," Aqua quietly begged as she continued to look on in horror. Though he was now taller than all of them, his hair was now a dark grey, his features were changed with age, and his eyes now the same shade of clear silver that Xion and Riku's had been when they were being controlled moments ago, they could still see just enough of the familiar shade of blue mixed in with the silver to know that they were his eyes, and there was most certainly no mistaking that particular spiky hairstyle. Even as she uttered his name, ultimately confirming who he was, Aqua knew that she and the others did not want to believe it. " _Sora_?"

Indeed, the man in the extravagant coat was in fact a very much older version of the wielder of the Kingdom Key, who they all believed would never turn to darkness no matter what had happened, and who was now fighting in the past, willing to give his life if necessary to save the very future they were now in. "Now don't be so dramatic Aqua," Sora scoffed in reply to Aqua's pleas. "Darkness is but one piece of a much more magnificent power, and once it is yours to command, you can become a force that none can stand against. Proof of that comes from the existence of the χ-blade, which is forged from a strong heart of light and an equally strong heart of darkness. Unlike others who would consider this the power of the In-Between or twilight, like Xemnas, I know that it is a power that only the most truly worthy could ever hope to possess. It's the power of ultimate balance and control."

"How…how could you betray us all like this," Ven finally asked.

"Betray you," Sora repeated. He then laughed for a moment as he stated, "I thought you knew me better than that. 'My friends are my power', remember? It turns out that when those friends are lost forever, that becomes especially true. Their being in danger can bring something close to what I have achieved, but when they are gone forever, truly gone, that is when the real power that your friends give you truly awakens."

"I can't believe this," Riku snarled as he raised his Keyblade once more. "There's no way that you're the real Sora! He would never do something as horrible as all that you've said you've done! How do you think Kairi would feel if she…"

Riku's rant was quickly cut off when he was suddenly thrown clear across the room by a power that was a mixture of light and darkness, and everyone turned to see that Sora's expression, while mostly the same, had gained a slight edge to it. Even more shockingly was that he never even seemed to have so much as raised a finger when he caused Riku to be thrown across the room. "Never. Mention her name. Again," Sora ordered. "But thank you for the pick me up, Riku. Now let me return the favor by showing you a real Dark Cannon."

A minute later, a much more powerful version of Riku's own Dark Cannon was suddenly thrown for Sora's hand directly at Riku. Thankfully, Terra was able to pull Riku out of the way, but the sight of where Riku was once standing terrified them, as a massive hole the size of a Gummi Ship at least was now in the wall, and a large section of the floor was now nothing more than rumble and empty space. The sight of such massive destruction was beyond anything like any of them had ever seen, even in terms of what Xehanort had been capable. The mere sight of what could likely only be a sample of this evil Sora's power was terrifying enough, but the thought that some of them may have to fight him was even more terrifying than anything else.

"Don't you see," Sora then asked. "I have more power than anyone could have ever dreamed, and soon, I will have the ultimate power that surpasses light and darkness. The one power that can rival or even exceed that of the great Kingdom Hearts. The power that has been instrumental in this entire escapade that threw you three to the future, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. The power…of time itself."

That declaration was just as shocking as the display of power that the heroes had just witnessed, and none of them were certain as to whether or not they believed this, or if the evil monster that was once their friend had gone insane. "Haven't you already done enough," Aqua asked. "This war that you've let happen has already destroyed so much, and caused so much harm. Why would you want a power that could let you destroy everything completely?"

"Oh Aqua, don't you realize that all this is nothing more than a necessary evil," Sora asked rhetorically. "This entire war, the creation of this Organization XIII, it's all necessary to bring about something much better, which can only be done by harnessing time itself. Aqua, do you really think that the way things happened originally is any better than this? Sure some things were better, the worlds were safe, and it was peaceful, but what do you think the cost was? Who do you think had to suffer in order for it to happen? I have seen that future, and I doubt you would be so open about restoring the original timeline if you knew what I know. Aqua, you wander aimlessly in the Realm of Darkness after you had given up your power to save a friend that may be lost; Ventus, you lie in an eternal sleep, your heart severely damaged after your final battle with Vanitas; Terra, the only true remainder of your existence is an empty shell who only acts out on instincts, and you three are the ones who got lucky. So many good lives were lost so that so called peace could be achieved, people that you have now met and who are willing to give their lives even now when they don't realize that their victory would mean the end of their existence."

"What do you mean by that," Terra asked, already fearing the answer.

"Do you really have to ask? Roxas, gone because a man out for revenge believed in his anger that Nobodies should never exist as anything more than tools, and only ever having a mere few moments with his dear, sweet Naminé before his existence ended along with hers. Although, I think you'll find that Xion's fate was much worse than that."

"What," Riku gasped in shock. "What happened to her?" When Sora did not answer, Riku was quick to get angry and shout, "Damn it Sora, if there really is any part of you left that is my friend then tell me what the hell happened to Xion!"

Sora only looked at Riku for a minute before he finally said, "Xion ceased to exist before she was even able to live for a year, all because I could not wake up while she existed. The worst part was that after she met her end, all memory of her faded away, until no one could so much as remember her name, and the two people responsible for it were both people she trusted and considered friends. Riku, you destroyed her. You and Roxas."

"No…no you're…you're lying," Riku protested. "I would never…I would never hurt Xion! That can't be true!"

"I may have caused you to turn to darkness Riku, but it was not just so I could have a warrior. I honestly wanted my best friend back after being forced to fight him for so long. Do you really think I could lie to you if I wanted something like that," Sora asked, and from the tone of his voice, he meant exactly what he said, which was more than enough to drive Riku to his knees. Sora then went on to add, "I know it may seem like I'm doing more harm than good, but trust me, you'll all thank me when this is over, because I will have created a perfect existence where no one will have suffered in the way that they had before, no one will have to suffer period, and I will never have lost everything that mattered to me."

"What do you mean everything," Terra asked.

"You and my younger self will find out soon enough, or maybe you won't seeing as I'm about to fix all the mistakes that history ever made. Like I said, I'm doing you guys a favor, and don't kid yourselves in thinking you can stop this from happening. Everything has already been set in motion. What happened to me in the past, it's happened before, it will happen again," Sora replied.

None of them were sure what to make of the situation. Sora was the leader of the forces of darkness and possessed powers that far exceeded anything any of them had ever seen, he had caused the war to happen to fulfill some insane plan to gain control of time itself, and he was talking as though something terrible would happen some point after Terra, Aqua, and Ven returned to their time. Was this madman really the Sora they once knew, and if so, were they supposed to believe what he was telling them? These questions and more were running rampant through all of their minds until a new voice suddenly cut through Terra, Aqua, and Ven's thoughts.

 _"_ _You guys, we really need to get you back into this time, and fast,"_ Kairi's voice called out. _"Are you still dealing with Xehanort?"_

"No, Xehanort's down, but…we've found something worse," Aqua finally replied after a minute.

 _"_ _What do you mean? Where are you guys?"_

"I think we're in Hell. Sora…the real leader of the forces of darkness…it's you," Ven revealed. "You're the one who was controlling Riku and Xion."

 _"_ _What? But that's impossible, how could that…I would never,"_ Sora tried to protest, clearly as unsettled by the news as they were. His protests were quickly replaced by a state of urgency when he suddenly shouted, _"Holy Paopu Fruit! Guys, we need you here now!"_

None of them needed anymore reason to take off towards the room Roxas, Axel, and Xion had disappeared into as Riku said, "I don't care what you think your reasons for doing this are. I will stop you no matter what it takes, because there is no way in hell that you're Sora!"

The evil Sora just watched them go, not making even the slightest move to stop them, and once they were gone, he had to chuckle a little at Riku's declaration. "Poor fools," the evil Sora sighed. "They are more than welcome to their dreams and ideas, but in the end it won't matter. Nothing can stop what's set in stone." The evil Sora then pulled something out of his pocket and gazed at it longingly before he added, "At least, not until I achieve what I seek, and then we will be reunited again, just as I promised we would be so long ago."

He brought his glance away from the object, which was partially covered in dried blood, and then held his hand out as he once did to summon his old Keyblade, only to bring forth a much different Keyblade, one that looked to be made up of two crossing Kingdom Keys, the teeth facing outwards, a filigree that looked like that of the Ultima Weapon Keyblade, and a blade that resembled that of a normal sword. He only looked over the extraordinary weapon for a minute before he said, "What I do, I do for your sake and so that everyone will get exactly what they deserve. This will ensure that. The most powerful of all weapons…the χ-blade."

* * *

 **Arendelle (The Past)**

Sora was of course completely stunned by what Ven had said about their enemy in the future, but the problem that had caused his distress when he last spoke was much more important at the moment. After he and Kairi had spoken with Aqua before she said that the three in the future were about to take on Xehanort, they had elected to wait a while until they heard back, but they soon began to grow anxious, which led them to call Aqua and again and find out what they did. Before they could process the information though, they received a pair of guests that they did not want right then.

Now Sora, Kairi, and Mickey were standing across the way from none other than Xehanort and Vanitas, the latter gazing at the three through his black, helmet-like mask, and the former just smiling at them in sinister amusement. The three Keyblade Masters of the light were all standing ready for battle, with Kairi still emitting the glow of her Shooting Star Command Style, but the strange thing was that neither Xehanort nor Vanitas seemed like they were going to prepare to fight them, as they continued to just stand where they were and gaze at them, as if analyzing everything about them with a simple look. Eventually, the silence was broken as Xehanort said, "So you are the mighty Keyblade Wielders from the future. It is a pleasure to finally see you face to face. As you are likely no doubt aware by now I am Master Xehanort."

"Well we're real flattered that the great, fallen master decided to come out and greet us," Sora replied with heavy sarcasm.

Xehanort only shrugged off the sarcastic remark with a chuckle before continuing, "I have heard much about you, young man, from Xemnas and Ansem. Sora, the Keyblade Hero, a defender of the worlds and the light and one who is not afraid to give up his own existence to save a friend. From what I have heard and seen of you, while you may not be the same as the Sora that Ansem and Xemnas know, you certainly seem to be just as powerful as that Sora was if not more so."

"You are getting to a point in all this right," Kairi asked. "We don't have time to listen to you go on some long-winded monologue at the moment. We've got friends who need our help."

Xehanort then looked at the still glowing, auburn haired girl as he then said, "Ah and the Princess of Heart that is also a Keyblade Wielder, Kairi. To be both a Keyblade Wielder and a Princess of Heart is truly amazing to say the least, and the fact that you are so concerned about people you have only just recently met and still consider to be friends shows that you are more than worthy of your title."

"Hey, quick question," Vanitas then cut in. "If she's a Princess of Heart, then maybe it would be better if we used her to help make the χ-blade instead of that idiot, Ventus."

Even though he knew that Kairi would probably get mad at him for it later, Sora did not hesitate for a second to immediately rush in front of the girl protectively after he heard what Vanitas said and then warn the masked boy, "If you even think about so much as coming near her, I will beat you into the next century and back with your stupid mask!"

Vanitas was about to say something in retort when Xehanort raised his hand to silence him as he stated, "Even if I were to consider the course of action you suggested, Vanitas, it would not work. Her light is far too great for you to handle, and it would destroy you long before the χ-blade could so much as be partially completed. That is why it is still planned for you to join with Ventus." Vanitas just shrugged at that as Xehanort then turned his attention back to the three Keybearers and then said, "As for any worry you may have over our being here, I assure you that it is unnecessary. We are not here to fight, merely to ask you to deliver a message for us."

"Not a chance! We're not your messengers, and we have no interest in anything you have to say to anyone," Kairi shouted, and she then immediately charged out from behind Sora towards the two evil Keyblade Wielders, much to Sora and Mickey's protest. When Kairi brought down her Keyblade, Vanitas was quick to meet it with his own so that he could push her back, effectively starting a battle between him and the Princess of Heart.

Kairi quickly retaliated by using the abilities her Command Style granted her to fire off a barrage of magic spells and homing darts, and while he was able to evade some of the attacks, Vanitas was not entirely able to save himself from suffering any damage before he finally teleported away from the where the attacks were heading. Vanitas then reappeared behind Kairi and attempted to strike at her from above as he usual would with this tactic, but Kairi was able to race away before the attack struck her, and then used a zero gravity spell to slow Vanitas down a little so that she could hit him with a quick series of fire spells. Vanitas was quick to recover from the blazing assault and then leapt into the air before unleashing a blast of dark lightning from his Keyblade on top of Kairi, causing a massive explosion to consume her form.

When the smoke finally cleared though, Kairi was completely unharmed, and the glow of her Command Style had now changed from white and red to a bluish-silver as what appeared to be stars shimmered around her, indicating that she had now unleashed her own Tier Two Command Style. Vanitas was not worried by this sight though, and just dived into the ground so that he could hit Kairi with a surprise attack from bellow, but when he tried to do so, he found himself hitting nothing but air every time, and when he finally came out from underground completely to look around for the girl, he saw that she was nowhere in sight at all. "Where'd she go," Vanitas demanded angrily.

"Why don't you try looking up, creep," Kairi's voice quipped, and when Vanitas did look up, his eyes widened behind his mask as he saw Kairi hovering in mid-air before rocketing towards him and then knocking him into the air with her Keyblade. Kairi then dashed into the air again, confirming that her new Command Style allowed her to fly, and began attacking Vanitas with several fast strikes which were infused with light magic, thus increasing its effectiveness against the being of pure darkness, until she paused to form a series of light spheres similar to the ones Aqua created with her Spellweaver Command Style and then fired them all at Vanitas. The masked boy could do nothing to avoid taking the full brunt of the attack, but as he started to stand up, he saw Kairi was now glowing even brighter than before, indicating that she was not done with him yet.

"Command Style: Eternal Illuminator Finisher," Kairi shouted, proving what Vanitas had already deduced, and she then flew directly towards Vanitas, slashing at him multiple times in a way that formed a five-point star, and once said star had been formed, she immediately cast another group of magic spheres that took a position at each point on the star before spinning her Keyblade around in one hand and then swinging once to unleash an explosion of light magic that quickly consumed Vanitas.

Seeing that she had now effectively beaten Vanitas, Kairi slowly lowered herself to the ground as her Command Style's energy faded away right next to Sora, but unfortunately, Vanitas was not finished by the powerful attack that Kairi had hit him with. Thankfully, the masked boy did not get a chance to retaliate, as Xehanort had quickly stopped him by placing a hand on Vanitas's shoulder, apparently quelling the boy's need to keep fighting for the moment, and the fallen master then looked to the heroes of the light as he said, "Most impressive. It seems that you grow stronger with every passing moment. It is actually a shame that you are not likely to consider joining me even if I were to offer the option."

Sora and Kairi were both ready to try and take him on again until they heard Aqua say, _"No don't! He's just trying to rile you up. Xehanort may be evil, but if he says he doesn't want to fight, then he means it. Nice work learning that new Command Style by the way Kairi."_

Kairi was about to thank Aqua for the compliment when she realized why she was receiving the compliment. _"Aqua, can you see us right now?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, we're at the Time Window, and we can see you and Sora facing Xehanort and Vanitas right now. Looks like you won't have to go very far to find where you need to be after all,"_ Terra replied, instantly bringing a slight amount of relief to the two, which they were careful not to show to Xehanort.

"More importantly, I know that you intend to retrieve Eraqus's pupils from whatever hell that Ansem and Xemnas had sent them to, and I know that once you have you will wish to end this," Xehanort then said, apparently never even registering that Sora and Kairi had not been paying attention to him while they talked with Aqua. "That is why I have approached you, because this message is for both the two of you and my late friend's former apprentices. If you truly wish to end this once and for all, then come and meet us at the place where powers of light and darkness clashed in battle for a power far beyond anything we have ever known, and whose land is now scarred by the destruction and the lifeless Keyblades of the warriors who had fallen in battle. We will be waiting."

With his piece now said, Xehanort departed through a Corridor of Darkness along with Vanitas, leaving Sora, Kairi, and Mickey to stare at where the two dark warriors once stood before finally releasing the breathes that they did not know they were holding. The group then started glancing around for a minute, looking for the point where the Time Window would be positioned at as it viewed their time with assistance from their friends in the future, until they finally spotted what looked like a faint, pink aurora in the sky, which Aqua confirmed was where the Time Window currently was. The three then summoned their Keyblades and held them towards one specific point as they focused their energy to the tips of their blades, building it up to the point that they needed it to be at, until Sora called out via the D-Link, _"You guys ready?"_

 _"_ _We're good to go on this end,"_ Aqua replied.

"Okay, on three," Sora then said both out loud and through the D-Link. "One…two…THREE!"

On the last word, both trios of Keyblade Wielders fired off a blast of energy at the center of their respective sides of the Time Window, and a minute later, the window released a burst of blinding energy until the light calmed down to reveal that the window had been successfully converted into a portal. Jubilant cheers immediately sounded from both groups as they celebrated their success at creating a way back for Terra, Aqua, and Ven, and now all Sora, Kairi, and Mickey could do was wait.

* * *

 **Castle That Never Was (The Future)**

Terra and Aqua were quick to take the lead on heading for the portal that would bring them home, but they soon paused when they noticed how Ven had not moved towards the portal, but was instead was looking towards their new friends worriedly. "Are you guys sure you'll be okay," Ven finally asked. "I mean, do you really think that evil Sora's going to let you just leave, or that you'll even stand a little bit of a chance against him?"

"Hey, you let us worry about that," Riku told the blonde. "It's not your problem anymore. Just get back to the past and help make sure this whole nightmare doesn't happen. That includes making sure my best friend doesn't go insane for whatever reason."

Ven still seemed a bit unsure about this until Roxas walked up to him and smiled as he held out his hand to him and said, "We'll be fine, Ven, just like I know you and you're friends will be. So get back there and do what you have to do to save the future, because I really believe that you will."

Ven stared at Roxas in shock for a minute before he finally smiled and accepted the handshake, saying, "Thanks Roxas, and best of luck."

Roxas nodded in reply as he and Ven released their handshake, letting Ventus start walking towards the Time Portal as he added, "You know, you're a lot more like Sora than you realize. You're both terrible when it comes to telling the girl you love how you feel, you're seriously too optimistic, but most importantly…you both make a great other."

Ven was not sure what Roxas meant by that, but he did not waste much time thinking about it, as the portal soon began to start becoming unstable, and simply nodded to his look-a-like before racing through the Time Portal back to his time along with Terra and Aqua. The minute they had passed through, the portal completely collapsed, and Roxas immediately turned towards the exit as he said, "Come on. Let's get back to the Avengers and get out of here. I've had more than enough of this nightmare of a world to last two lifetimes."

Everyone silently agreed with the blonde and immediately raced after him as they ran to the exit of the Castle That Never Was, hoping that the Avengers were still okay, and that they would be ready for the storm that was coming.

* * *

 **Arendelle (The Past)**

Sora, Kairi, and Mickey all watched the sky intently until they heard the sound of three people screaming and then saw Aqua, Ven, and Terra falling from the sky after they came out of the portal, and they all quickly winced when they crashed onto the ground. "Uh…welcome back," Sora said as the three started to get their bearings again.

Ven and Terra were both groaning a bit until Aqua suddenly stuttered, "Uh, V-Ven? Could you please get up now?"

Ven was confused by Aqua's sudden nervousness at first, but he quickly figured out why and immediately turned crimson when he did. Not only had he landed on top of Aqua when he landed, but also, his hands were currently right on Aqua's breast, much to the girl's embarrassment, and that was all the reason Ven needed to jump off Aqua and rapidly say, "I'm sorry! I swear I did not mean for that to happen! I just…and the falling…and…"

"No, i-it's alright. D-don't worry about it," Aqua stuttered as she avoided Ven's gaze, her face just as crimson as Ven's was.

The awkward mood was quickly killed when Terra suddenly said, "Wait a minute, that's it?! I make one little comment about you guys snuggling and you threaten to utterly destroy me, but when he actually cops a feel you just let him off with a 'don't worry about it'? What the hell gives?"

Aqua did not hesitate to throw a glare at Terra that promised pain if he did not keep his mouth shut, to which the taller boy responded by raising his hands in surrender before gaining a serious look as he turned to Sora and Kairi. "What did Xehanort want?"

"He said that if we want to end this, we should meet him at some place where a war between light and darkness happened, and that it was full of destruction and lifeless Keyblades," Kairi informed them.

"The Keyblade Graveyard," Aqua mused softly, immediately figuring out where Xehanort meant before she turned to the two from the future. "Sora, maybe you should go back to your time."

"What? No way," Sora immediately argued. "We've been with you guys since this started, and we're seeing it through to the end."

"No Sora," Aqua snapped. "Don't you get it? If you stay here then that evil Sora we met in the future will come into existence, and we can't let that happen."

"But how do we know that my going back isn't part of what caused him to happen," Sora then asked. "For all we know, I might've gone back and then let things play out like they originally did before Kairi and I came to this time, and that led me to come back and become that person. Besides, there's no way you guys can take on Xehanort, Vanitas, Xemnas, and Ansem without us. We're staying put no matter what."

"Sora's right," Kairi agreed. "Until we know exactly what caused Sora to turn evil, all we can really do is keep going like we have been, and that means that we stay and help you guys set history right."

One look in the twos eyes told Aqua, Terra, and Ven that Sora and Kairi were serious about this, and they could do nothing more than smile a little in thanks for that. Even though the two now knew what was really responsible for the future being what it was, they were still determined to see their mission through to the end, a fact that the three could not help but admire their young friends for. They then looked to see Mickey trying to hide behind Sora and Kairi, almost as if he was afraid of how they would react to seeing him, but they quickly proved that he had no reason to be as they immediately greeted Mickey in the same way that they had his future self, much to his astonishment and joy. With their reunion now done and their path forward now clear, the five Keybearers immediately summoned their armor and Keyblade Gliders and departed for the place that their final battle would take place, now more determined than ever to save the future, and ensure that history was changed.

* * *

 ** _AN: In case it wasn't obvious at this point, the main points of this chapter are as follows:_**

 ** _Sora and Kairi get their Tier Two Command Styles, Future Vanitas and Future Xehanort bite the dust, Xehanort issues his challenge in the Keyblade Graveyard to the heroes, and the real, ultimate evil mastermind's identity is revealed. Plus there were also a few moments involving certain pairings in case you didn't notice._**

 ** _That being said, yes, the ultimate mastermind in this story is an evil, grown up Sora, and yes the evil Sora has the_ _χ-blade. In all honesty, this was not in the original plan for this story, as it had originally just been a Kingdom Hearts version of X-Men: Days of Future Past, but as I planned out more and more of the story, got more of the characters involved, and certain plot points arose to the outline, I found that I could not stop myself from adding this in. I know some people have probably done the whole evil Sora thing before, or they might not have, but I just really liked going with that direction. That being said, don't think this is the last time we'll be seeing Sora's evil future-self, because I would not have put him in at all if he was just going to get a passing mention._**

 ** _That being said, the good news is that all the heroes are now back where they need to be at the moment, and everyone is now well aware of who their enemies for their respective final battles are. The bad news is, no one knows what needs to happen to keep Sora from turning evil and causing the future to change to what it currently is, all in an effort to seize control of time itself. If you really think about it though and look over what was said during that scene, I think it might be pretty obvious what it was that happened. Now then, onto the preview!..._**

 ** _The final battles have begun, as Sora and Kairi join Aqua, Terra, Ventus, and Mickey in their battle against Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard, while Roxas leads the efforts against the evil future Sora alongside Riku, Xion, and Future Mickey after the fallen hero joins the battle at the Mysterious Tower and begins decimating their forces. As the six in the past struggle against their foes, the heroes in the future find time falling apart around them as the battle continues, but soon enough, the event that determines whether or not Sora truly does turn evil arrives, much to Sora's horror. What is it that may or may not allow the evil Sora to exist, and how far will our heroes go to prevent it from happening and ensuring a better tomorrow? Find out next time._**

 ** _Xehanort: Urgh, what happened?_**

 ** _AN: Now everyone, what did we learn today?_**

 ** _Everyone but AN: Don't interrupt lyokoMARVELanime unless you wish to get hurt._**

 ** _AN: Exactly, and with this, the chapter's over and all I can say is..._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	17. Descent Into Battle

_**AN: Hey guys, we're nearing the end now, as we come to another chapter of Keyblades of Future Past! Pretty exciting huh?**_

 ** _Sora: No kidding! I can't wait to see how this turns out, but at the same time it's kind of sad that this story's almost done. I really liked working with you._**

 ** _Kairi: Same here. I really wish we could do more._**

 ** _AN: Well sorry, but I have no plans on writing a sequel, mostly because this story will tie up just about any and every loose end you can think of by the final chapter. But that doesn't mean I won't take on any other Kingdom Hearts stories in the future._**

 ** _Roxas: Really?! Like what?_**

 ** _AN: Whoa, slow down there, zippy. I haven't quite worked out all the details on them just yet, and besides, as soon as I'm finished working on this story, I want to try and bring my attention back to the Gundam SEED Prime series, as it has been a while since I last worked on the final story of that series, or even updated the collection of deleted scenes one-shots._**

 ** _Riku: Can you at least give us an idea, like whether or not I'll actually get some more action or even screen time in any of those ideas than I did in this story?_**

 ** _Xion: Or how about whether or not I'll get a major role in any of those stories? Cause I'd really like to do more in a future story than I did here._**

 ** _Saix: How about a better role for the members of the Organization than just passing mentions, as we are far superior to a puppet or these children._**

 ** _Xigbar: Yeah no kidding, I mean I only got a few mentions and I'm like one of the more memorable bad guys! Come on man, don't leave us hanging like..._**

 ** _AN: DAH! WHINING DIVA CHARACTERS! [hits the control]_**

 ** _Xigbar &Saix: [hoisted up by the seat of their pants by a bungee cable and get sent flying on a bungee wedgie] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! THIS ISN'T FUNNY AT ALL!_**

 ** _AN: [sighs in relief] That's better. Anyways, if you want some basic ideas of what I've got in mind for future Kingdom Hearts stories though, then here's the scoop on that..._**

 ** _I've kicked around a couple of ideas for a Kingdom Hearts High School AU that each share similarities with a certain show about certain heroes, along with a small crossover with "House of Mouse". The final idea I currently have at the moment is an idea for a crossover with the Batman Arkham Series, in which Riku fills the role of Batman as a hero known as Twilight Walker. The last of those ideas is really just some random thing I may or may not do since I'm not entirely sure about it, but at least now you know a small idea of some of the things that run through my mind when it comes to ideas I come up with in between stories or while I'm working on other stories._**

 ** _Kairi: Wait, isn't there something on this list for a possible Naruto..._**

 ** _AN: OKAY MOVING ON NOW! [snatches list from Kairi before she can finish reading what she may or may NOT have seen] Enjoy the chapter everyone! DISCLAIMER!_**

 ** _I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story._**

* * *

 **Chapter XVII**

The journey to the Keyblade Graveyard was relatively silent, and the landing upon the world was just as quiet as the six Keyblade Wielders looked over the barren waste land before them, seeing large craters, one of which they noted looked like Mickey's seal, entire mountains that were carved out by what was likely a very powerful attack, and dark skies that had only a small amount of light that could be closely compared to a sunset, letting only the sound of the wind blowing through the mountains and their hair and faces fill the silence. The group gazed at the world before them for a few more moments in silence, letting the gravity of all that was riding on their shoulders as they took on the upcoming battle settle on them as they thought about the friends that were counting on them both in this time and in the future, until Sora finally broke the silence and said, "This place is…the result of a real Keyblade War?"

"Yeah. Not a pleasant sight," Terra nodded in confirmation. He then turned to Sora and Kairi as he added, "You know, you guys don't have to do all this if you're not feeling up to it."

"Like we said before, we've already come this far so we might as well see it through to the end," Kairi immediately replied, getting a smile from Terra in response. "Besides, you guys are our friends. There's no way we're about to let you face such a serious battle on your own."

When Aqua heard that she allowed a smile to grace her face and then thought of something that she almost forgot about. "Hey you two," the blunette said to Sora and Kairi. "I've got something for you. Close your eyes and hold out your hands for a minute."

Sora and Kairi both quirked an eyebrow in confusion for a minute before doing as Aqua had requested. A minute later, the felt something with a metal edge be placed in their hands before Aqua said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Sora and Kairi did as asked and their eyes immediately widened when they saw what Aqua had placed in their hands. The objects that the two were each holding were Wayfinders like the ones that Terra, Aqua, and Ven carried, only with the crown symbol on Sora's necklace where the symbol that the three of the past wore as badges normally was, and Sora's being a dark red in color while Kairi's was bright pink. "Aqua, are these really…" Sora started to ask.

"Yep, they are," Aqua confirmed. "I was able to make them while the three of us were in the future during our trip to the World That Never Was, which wasn't easy since we had to deal with the ship being attacked by a horde of monsters that we weren't expecting."

"Thanks but I've already got a lucky charm of my own," Kairi reminded the older woman.

"We know that, but since we've all come so far and are such good friends, we figured it was only fair that we make you official parts of our circle of friends by making you Wayfinders like ours," Terra admitted. "Well, Aqua thought that we needed to do it, and once she sets her mind to something there's no changing it. Seriously, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sometimes Aqua can be such a girl."

"Hey! Whaddya mean 'sometimes'," Aqua playfully snapped at Terra, knowing full well that Terra was teasing her once again.

"We're honored, but do you really think we deserve these, or that we'll even be able to keep them when we go back to the future," Sora asked, as he really did like having his own lucky charm that was not borrowed from someone else and did not want to lose something that important, especially while he knew that Aqua had worked so hard on it.

"Don't worry," Ven reassured the spiky haired boy. "Even if you do lose it, one of us will be able to hold onto it until we meet you guys again in the future. Consider it a promise between friends through time."

Aqua then summoned her Keyblade and held it up as she said, "The six of us will always be one."

Terra then summoned Ends of the Earth and held it up against Aqua's as he said, "What we all do from here on out, we do for the friendships we've forged across the worlds and throughout time."

Ven then added Wayward Wind into the collection as he declared, "Friends forever."

Mickey then smiled and brought Star Seeker up as well as he added, "No matter what, there's always hope."

Kairi and Sora both smiled in response and then pocketed their new Wayfinders and summoned their own Keyblades to meet the other four's as Kairi said, "For the light in the darkness that never goes out."

"All for one and one for all," Sora finished. The group all lowered their Keyblades, but while the four from the current time period dismissed their blades, Sora and Kairi kept theirs out for a moment as they exchanged a small look and a nod between them. "And if we're really going to be doing this, then we're going to need to be ready for anything."

Sora then reached into one of his other pockets and pulled out a Keychain with three silver crown symbols like the one on his necklace acting as the chain, and a crown-and-heart shaped symbol on the token, while Kairi reached into the pouch she wore on her belt and pulled out a Keychain with three gold links, and a charm that was shaped like a small, three-pointed gold crown like the one on Sora's necklace, except for the gold circle on each of the points. The two then removed the Keychains that were currently attached to their own Keyblades and replaced them with the ones that they had just pulled out, and upon doing so, the blades were immediately changed completely. Sora's had gained a blue, white, and gold color scheme with a blade that was reminiscent of a basic sword wrapped in an ornate filigree patterned like fish bones, crown shaped teeth, a crown symbol at the tip of the blade, and two crowns making up part of the blade's guard, giving off an image of great strength and power just from looking at it. Kairi's new Keyblade on the other hand seemed like something that was modeled after parts of Mirage Arena, at least in Terra, Aqua, and Ven's opinion, as it had a handle covered in blue stripes, five gold gears with blue centers making up the guard, a blue-white and spiked gear set at the top of the handle, and the base and tips of the blade resembled the teleportation hubs of the arena. The two hubs seemed to be connected by a dim glowing, light red beam, which was surrounded by a light blue, double-helix structure, with a gold crown that sat off-kilter at the tip of the blade making up the teeth.

"Whoa," Ven gasped. "What're those Keyblades?"

"They're our most powerful Keyblades," Sora replied. "Mine is known as Ultima Weapon."

"And mine's Royal Radiance," Kairi finished.

"If they're your most powerful Keyblades, then why haven't you used them before," Terra asked.

"Because we prefer to only use them in really serious situations, such as important battles that more than likely will need the power they have, or a moment as serious as the one we're about to face is. It's so we don't become so dependent on them that we can't fight with the Keyblades we normally use if we ever lost these," Sora explained. Everyone nodded in acceptance of this and then turned to head on to where their final battle against Xehanort and his allies would take place as soon as the two had dismissed their newly changed Keyblades.

The all walked in silence after that, only pausing for a moment as they walked through Twister Trench whenever some or all of them suddenly got caught in one of the twisters of raw emotion that littered the area, until they finally reached a large fissure just before the actual graveyard itself. Upon reaching this point, everyone took a moment to make sure they were fully prepared for anything, which gave Ven a moment to pull Terra and Aqua aside so that he could talk to them about something that he felt needed to be said. From the look on his face, Terra and Aqua were able to immediately tell that it was something that was really bothering their young friend, and so they did not hesitate for a minute to let him speak about what was bothering him.

"Listen you guys," Ven began. "I think we all know that at this point I won't have any other choice but to fight against Vanitas, and I doubt I need to remind you guys about what will happen afterwards. If the χ-blade is forged then I don't know what will happen to me, but if worse comes to worst, then I want you guys to…"

"Stop right there, Ven," Terra cut in as he placed a hand on Ven's shoulder. "Nothing's gonna ever separate us again. I'll make sure of it."

"You mean we'll make sure of it," Aqua corrected while placing her hand on Ven's cheek. "After all that's happened, there's no way that we'll ever be split up again."

Ven gave a sad smile before he removed his friends' comforting hands from him and finished, "I'm asking you as my friends…just…put an end to me."

"No, there has to be another way," Aqua immediately protested.

"And if there isn't then what," Ven asked. "I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me. Terra, you're like my older brother, and there's no way I'd ever want you to get hurt because of me, or to fall into darkness for the same reason, and Aqua…I…"

Terra was of course touched by Ven's saying that the blonde considered him like a brother, and since Terra felt the same way about Ven, he knew that he needed to excuse himself for a minute when he noticed the look in Ven's eyes when the blonde gazed at Aqua, so he simply moved away after saying, "I won't let that happen Ven. There's always a better way, right? Anyways, I'll just be over there checking my supplies and stuff, so you guys just…yeah…"

The two wanted to roll their eyes at Terra as he walked away, but Aqua was too transfixed on the younger boy in front of her at the moment as Ven had gotten nervous after starting to say what he was about to say to her. "Aqua, there's…something I want to tell you."

"Ven, please," Aqua interrupted. "I don't want you to say anything you wouldn't normally say if you were about to go off to a battle you may not survive. It'll only spoil it."

Ven looked up into Aqua's eyes in astonishment, and was about to say something in protest to Aqua's request when the girl cut him off by crashing her lips into his. Ven's eyes had immediately widened in shock at Aqua's sudden kiss, but then he felt Aqua communicating her feelings to him through said kiss, and he instantly knew how desperately Aqua had wanted this right now, and elected to close his own eyes and return the gesture as he wrapped his arms around Aqua, while she wrapped hers around his neck. The feelings that the two communicated were filled with so much intensity and passion that it was surprising that the two did not come up for air after a few seconds, yet it was still clear as day that they were sharing their true feelings for one and other for every second that passed as they remained that way. Finally, they both felt the need to breathe again becoming too strong to ignore, and they slowly released each other from their passionate embrace to regain their breath while Aqua panted, "Just in case you're right to be so worried and I don't see you again."

Ven smiled happily at Aqua and nodded in response to this before he cupped her cheek and gave her one last small peck on the lips before he moved to join Terra and the others in making sure they were ready. As he was walking over, he noticed that Sora and Kairi were smiling at him knowingly, indicating that they had seen what had just happened between him and Aqua, and he simply rolled his eyes before saying, "You know, you two might want to get anything like that between you off your chests before we go out there too, or you might never get the chance again."

The two immediately ceased their smiling and glanced away with bright blushes on their face, leaving a smirking Ven and Aqua to walk off as they prepared themselves for the final battle along with Mickey, and they were soon exchanging small, hesitant glances with one and other before Sora finally said, "Kairi, if what those guys and our other friends in the future found out really is true, then there's a chance that something in this battle will cause me to…you know…and if that does happen…"

"It won't; I won't let it," Kairi immediately interrupted. "No matter what happens, I'm not going to ever let you break that promise you made me so long ago." When Sora raised an eyebrow in confusion, Kairi immediately elaborated, "Your promise that you would never change, and that you would always come back to me."

Sora smiled at the girl he cared about so much before he ran a hand through her hair, gaining Kairi's full attention as he said, "Don't worry, I'll always find a way back to you, because I know that you'll always be able to give me the light I need to find my way through the deepest darkness."

Kairi smiled in reply to this as she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of Sora's hand against her face for a minute, not coming out of the feeling until Mickey finally told them that it was time to get going. The two then stood up from where they had sat down and quickly followed after Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, with Mickey falling in just a little ways behind them, having already agreed to act as the last line of backup instead of being right on the front lines with them since the upcoming battle was the five Keybearers' fight, and that was all the indication the king of Disney Castle needed to know that history was indeed about to be made.

* * *

 **(The Future)**

Roxas was extremely thankful to find that the Avengers were okay and holding their own when the blonde and his companions had reached them, and it was not long after regrouping with the team of heroes that they all left the World That Never Was and returned to the Mysterious Tower to rejoin the efforts in defending Yen Sid's home. Once they had returned and assured everyone that Axel, Riku, and Xion were on their side, Roxas immediately led the three to Mickey, who was with Yen Sid and Naminé as they kept a watchful eye on Sora and Kairi so that they could inform them of what they had learned. Needless to say, the three were shocked by the revelations that Roxas and the others had to share.

"The true master of darkness…was Sora," Mickey whispered. "But…it can't be…"

"I didn't want to believe it either, but it was a little hard to deny that it was him considering everything we heard from him," Riku replied solemnly, as he was still shell-shocked by the fact that his best friend was the enemy even though he had sworn to stop the evil Sora.

"This is indeed a most troubling revelation," Yen Sid then commented as he stroked his beard in thought. "One that we must be careful of when deciding on how to respond to it."

"Do you want to bring Sora and Kairi back from the past," Axel asked. "I mean if we do that then the evil Sora never exists and all the problems are solved."

"Except we'd be leaving Aqua, Terra, and Ven to fend for themselves against Xehanort, Vanitas, Ansem, and Xemnas with only Past Mickey to help," Naminé reminded the redhead.

"So what else can we do," Xion asked. "It's not like we know how to stop it from happening this time. Like Master Yen Sid said earlier, the book of Keyblade Wielder history has gone completely crazy, and the evil Sora didn't exactly say anything specific about what it was that drove him to do all that he's done, just how he's done it, so we don't exactly have any idea on how to stop him from coming about."

Everyone had fallen into silent thought at the black haired girl's comment, each wondering what could have happened in the past that drove Sora to change into the man that Riku and the others had encountered, while also trying to think of a way to stop the evil Sora in case their friends in the past failed, only to come up with nothing in the end. That is, until Riku suddenly thought of something from the conversation that he had with the evil Sora. "Maybe he did tell us something," the silver haired boy commented.

"What do you mean," Roxas asked.

"He said that he was doing this so that he wouldn't lose everything he ever cared about," Riku recalled aloud. "He's already lost his home, but there must be something more specific that Sora would consider being everything to him."

"Like what," Donald squawked.

Riku paused to think for a moment before he remembered something else. "He also got pretty edgy when I mentioned Kairi to him…maybe…"

"Riku, you're not saying what I think you're saying, are you," Xion asked.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Riku reasoned, getting a few nods of agreement in response, but before he or anyone else could further comment on the matter, the tower suddenly shook with the force of a powerful explosion, the likes of which they had not felt before during the entire battle. Everyone other than Naminé immediately rushed to the window to see what had happened, and the sight that they were greeted with was something that shocked and horrified them all.

The sky was now shifting between the state of a small number of stars that they had known and that of the massive number of them, but now it was doing it so much that it was happening in patches before covering up to what they had known to be, only for another part to be torn out and replaced by the other image. It was almost like reality was being torn apart and stitched back together again only to be torn open once more, right to the point that the sky was also varying in colors and the stars were seen in different positions than they were normally in, but the most terrible sight they saw was of the battle's latest addition to the enemy side. There, casually approaching the battlefield through the forces of darkness, which were opening the way for him as he moved forward, was none other than the evil Sora himself, clearly showing that there was no way to hide that he was the enemy from anyone any longer, and proving that he was not afraid of anything that the forces of light would throw at him. His extravagant coat was now unzipped to reveal that he was wearing a dark red shirt underneath with a silver "X" shining brightly across the front and a pair of black pants that was held up by a dark blue belt underneath the coat, while he usual crown necklace was missing from where it normally was.

The forces defending the tower had all paused in shock for a moment at seeing the evil Sora, many of which were unsure of what to do once they saw him as they had not yet been informed of which side this Sora was on, but it quickly became clear to them all when many of the forces of darkness suddenly kneeled before him and they all felt a great, evil surge of power radiating off of him. Upon feeling this dark presence, Jack Sparrow could not help but comment, "I've known many a man to travel a perilous journey and be tested to the point that he is never the same as he once was again, but in all my travels across the Caribbean I've never encountered a person who had fallen into such a terrible change as this."

If Evil Sora had heard the pirate's comment, he did not show any indication of it, but instead looked around the battlefield in mild amusement until he finally glanced up at the tower and called out, "Yen Sid, I know that Roxas and the others have told you of my existence, so I have come here to offer you this: Surrender now and don't try to stop me anymore than you already have, and I shall show you just how grand the new paradise I will create will be. This is your last chance to give in; however, if you do not…well, allow me to give a small example of what will happen to your precious forces of light."

Evil Sora then merely raised a hand towards a group of the defenders, and with a simple flexing of his fingers, that same group was blasted away from him, off the island, and into one of the nearby rifts in the space-time continuum. Everyone was completely horrified by this sight, as there was no telling what would happen should anyone have fallen into one of those rifts that had begun to be torn open, and in that moment, they all knew that there was likely no chance that they could fight this madman that had once been their friend. "That was merely the smallest sample of my true might, old friends," Evil Sora then informed them. "As I said, this is your last chance, and if you do not, then every single life that ends will be on your heads, Yen Sid, King Mickey, and all the rest who lead theses so-called 'Freedom Fighters'."

If anyone had not found their resolve shaken before, then they certainly found it in such a state now. The words that Evil Sora had spoken when he had given that last warning alone were frightening enough as it was, but the tone with which he said it made it all the more frightening, as he had spoken with a deep conviction that implied that not only was he confident that he would be able to do as he said he could, but that he knew he would be able to do it without even the smallest shred of doubt, almost like he was at a level of strength that far exceeded that of everyone else around him. Some were wondering what Yen Sid planned to do in response and what the result of such a surrender would be, thinking that it probably would not be so bad since it was Sora that was asking for the surrender, while others had a strong feeling that it would be better to keep on fighting even if Yen Sid did decide to surrender. In the end though, it was not Yen Sid or Mickey who made the final decision, but rather Roxas who did as he gained a determined look upon leveling a glare at the monster that was once his friend.

"I'm going out there, and I'm going to face him," Roxas declared as he turned and began making his way towards the door.

"Roxas, no," Naminé protested. "He's too powerful for you to face him on your own! I don't want to lose you!"

"I don't want to lose you either, any of you, and that's why I have to do this," Roxas reasoned. He then smirked a little as he added, "Besides, if anyone stands a chance of beating Sora, it's me, seeing as I am his Nobody."

"I'm going with you," Xion then suddenly said as she strode over to Roxas, only stopping with Roxas held up his hands in protest.

"Oh no, you're not," the blonde immediately denied. "I just got you and Axel back, and I'm going to lose you guys again no matter what."

"That's exactly why I'm going," Xion argued. "I just got my brother back, and I'm not letting you walk out and leave me behind again. Please Roxas, we're in this together whether you like it or not."

Roxas just groaned in annoyance before he finally moaned, "I don't have time for this. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Riku, kiss your girlfriend so she'll stop arguing."

Riku looked at Roxas for a minute before he replied, "Not gonna happen, because I'm going too. I've got just as strong of a chance at beating Sora as you do, and he's been my best friend since childhood. If anyone needs to do this, it's me, so don't try and stop me from coming."

Roxas had to groan once again before he finally conceded and said, "Okay fine, you win, but Mickey and Axel, you two are going to stay here and help Master Yen Sid keep Naminé, Sora, and Kairi safe. If we run into one of them, I'll send either Mulan, Aladdin, or Jack up to help out along with a couple of the Avengers if possible."

"Sure thing pal," Mickey replied as he summoned his Star Seeker Keyblade, proving that he was ready for action no matter what happened. He then held out his other hand and summoned forth the Kingdom Key D, an act that showed that he had no intention of taking any chances when it came to protecting his friends this time around, and the act was soon followed by Axel summoning his Chakrams so that he was ready as well, and upon seeing that two of the last line of defenders were now more than ready, Roxas turned and led Riku and Xion out of the tower and onto the battlefield so that they could approach Sora.

As they made their way across the battlefield, they passed Mulan on their way out and immediately asked her to head in and help their friends inside, which the young woman immediately agreed to do, and soon after, they had encountered Captain America and asked him to send some of the Avengers into the tower as well. The captain immediately agreed to do so, and soon after he had sent some of his forces into the tower, they were quickly followed by Yuffie, Cloud, and Auron, who had overheard the blonde when he spoke with Captain America and immediately wanted to help. After that point, everyone just watched the three approach the evil warrior that had once been a great friend and hero of the worlds in silence, waiting to see what would happen.

When the three finally stood before him, Evil Sora had to smile tauntingly at them before he remarked, "Didn't think the old man would send you three to deliver the message. So, are you ready to surrender?"

Roxas, Riku, and Xion just glared at Sora for a minute before Riku finally said, "I told you when we last met at the Castle That Never Was that I would stop you no matter what. I don't plan to go back on that promise now."

"And that goes for us as well," Roxas added. "So if you want to go any further than you already have…"

"Then you'll have to go through us, and we don't intend to go down without a fight," Xion finished, and when she said the last few words, she and the other two boys immediately summoned their respective Keyblades and assumed a battle stance, sending a silent signal to the rest of their forces to keep fighting no matter what and to leave the evil Sora to them.

Sora looked over them for a minute before he finally chuckled a little and replied, "Very well then, it's your funerals, but you'll find that your Keyblades are nothing compared to my own."

Sora then held his hand out and summoned forth the very weapon that the three had hoped they would never seen, and upon seeing their looks of recognition, Sora could only smile in dark glee as he confirmed, "Yes, this is indeed the ultimate of all Keyblades, and the very embodiment of Kingdom Hearts' vast power, and it is mine to command…this is the χ-blade!"

Roxas, Riku, and Xion were admittedly thrown off for a minute seeing Sora wielding the legendary χ-blade, but they were quick to shake off their moment of surprise and prepare themselves for action, knowing immediately that the battle they were about to face was going to be that much more difficult than they had hoped it would be.

* * *

 **(The Past)**

Around the same time, the group of Keybearers in the past had finally reached the center of the Keyblade Graveyard, and Sora and Kairi were able to instantly tell how the area had gained its name. The ground around them was littered with so many lifeless Keyblades that appeared to have rusted and gained a dark color due to the fact that their wielders had lost their lives in battle, and with the way they were placed into the ground, it almost seemed like they were now good for nothing more than serving as grave markers of the ones who had fallen in the terrible war. Sora and Kairi could have sworn that they saw some Keyblades that looked very much like the ones they and their friends had wielded through Keychains in the past among the lifeless weapons as they glanced around, but the thing that they found most surprising was how there seemed to be four, intersecting paths right in the middle of the vast grave site, and to see so many dead Keyblades was a sight that was very disheartening for the two.

Admittedly, they were glad that Aqua, Terra, and Ven had gone a little ways ahead of them so that they could take a moment to take in the sight around them, but the other reason for that was because it gave them a moment to talk with Mickey about something that they felt they needed to address to the king of Disney Castle. "It's really a sad and terrible sight, isn't it," Mickey asked the two when he approached them.

"Yeah it is, and it's all the more reason why we need to ask you to make sure that it either never comes again or that it's at least prevented for as long as possible," Sora replied.

"Gosh Sora, I know that I kinda owe you two for helping me reunite with my three friends over there and for helping me to remember who I once was, but I don't know if I can do that," Mickey admitted with a worried look.

"You don't owe us anything at all," Kairi immediately replied. "That's just what friends are for, and we're going to need you a lot in the years to come after we get our Keyblades."

Sora immediately took over when Mickey looked at them in confusion and said, "Kairi and I are just kids in this time, so we haven't grown up yet or received a Keyblade, but we will one day, and we'll need you to remember us, and a few others as well. Riku, Lea, Roxas, Xion, Naminé…those are all people that will one day be a very important part of keeping the worlds safe, so promise us that you'll find both us and them, bring us all together, and guide us so that we can become the true Keyblade Masters of the future."

Mickey looked into Sora's eyes, and he could immediately see that the boy was very serious about the matter, right to the point where he did not even need Sora to tell him that they would need his help, and upon glancing at Kairi, Mickey could see the very same conviction in her eyes as well, and that she too shared the belief that they would need the cartoon mouse in the near future when they did finally become Keyblade Wielders. Seeing how strongly they believed this and that they were so serious on the matter, almost as though they believed that the worlds would end without those people that they mentioned, Mickey found he could not do anything other than nod in agreement, letting them know that he would do his best to help them and the friends that their past selves would one day meet, and he then let Sora and Kairi move on to join their other three friends in the center of the graveyard.

When the two reached the others, they had arrived just in time to see that they seemed to begun a very serious conversation as they immediately heard Terra say, "Aqua, I want to apologize for everything I said and did in the past that drove us apart, and…I want you to know that…you were right, and so was the master."

Aqua smiled a little, truly feeling touched that Terra was apologizing for the mistakes he made that nearly destroyed their friendship, and in her joy she could not help but say, "Well the master is often right about a lot of things, especially when it's something that I agree with him on, so you're going to have to be more specific than that about what you're referring to."

Terra had to smile at his friend's quip before elaborating, "I'm referring to the fact that I did need to be watched. Maybe if I had listened to you then Xehanort wouldn't have used me as his tool in destroying Master Eraqus, and maybe our bond would never had suffered so much. I went astray, but not anymore and never again. I'll do whatever I have to in order to make Xehanort pay."

Aqua's smile quickly vanished when she heard those last words, and she had to lower her head in sadness as she asked, "What else is darkness but hate and rage? Xehanort is feeding the dark fires within you, making you fight. You'll go astray again if you do that."

"I'm not doing this out of anger and revenge, but out of honor and justice, both for our master and father, and for our bond," Terra corrected Aqua with a smile. "I said it before and I'll say it again, nothing is ever going to tear us apart, not even my own darkness, because I control it, not the other way around."

Aqua smiled in response to this along with Ven, Sora, and Kairi before they all nodded and she said, "Then I guess that I don't have to worry about you, because I know you'll stay strong for all of us. You're really honoring our master's memory in doing what you have been doing far more than I could ever hope to. That's why I want to apologize as well. Ven's right, it wasn't just one of us at fault in destroying our friendship. Maybe deep down, I was a bit eager to prove that I had earned my new title as master that I let the master's teachings cloud my judgment on a lot of things, and I tried to force my own feelings on how we should have been handling things on you guys. Master Eraqus would never have done that to any of us, and I can't help but feel that it's all the more reason why I don't deserve the Mark of Mastery."

"Are you kidding me? You deserve it way more than anyone I know," Ven immediately argued. "Aqua, you've always stayed true to your beliefs of right and wrong, and you've always had our backs even when we didn't see it, and not only that, but you've been able to help a lot more people than me and Terra ever could since this whole journey started."

"Ven's right," Terra agreed. "If anyone has honored our master's memory it's you, Aqua. I'm really glad that you were named a master, and that we're all able to fight side-by-side now when we need each other the most."

Aqua looked up and had to give her two friends a bright smile in response, and the three soon found that same smile being shared with Sora and Kairi, knowing that the future was already becoming that much brighter with so many friends believing in them. Those smiles immediately vanished when they finally sensed a familiar darkness approaching, and the minute they all turned towards it, they all saw Xehanort had arrived with Vanitas on his right, and Ansem and Xemnas on his left, the former with his Keyblade already out. The two sides merely stared at each other across the desolate graveyard until the four warriors of darkness finally came to a halt and Xehanort began to give a small monologue.

"Behold," Xehanort declared as he gestured around him. "These lifeless keys used to be full of power…united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged. Countless Keyblade Wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one, ultimate key, and soon it will belong to me." Xehanort then paused for a moment in his speech before he pointed towards Ven as he finished his villain monologue. "χ-blade."

The five Keybearers only glared at the five villains for a minute before they all simultaneously tapped their shoulder armor pieces and summoned forth their armors, summoning their Keyblades forth only a minute later as the armor finished forming around them, signaling the beginning of the battle that would make history and determine the fate of the future. Terra was quick to make the first move by charging in, intending to hit Xehanort or one of the other three with a powerful attack right from the start, but Xehanort merely waved a hand and caused a large slab of the ground to suddenly rise up beneath Terra's feet at unnatural speeds. Terra crashed onto the ground as he was in mid-leap when it suddenly rose up, and then looked up to see that Xehanort had elevated the ground he and the other three were standing on so that they were high above the five Keyblade Wielders. Terra did not let this deter him for long, as he was soon running up the side of the mountain that Xehanort had just created in order to reach the madman, not noticing when Xehanort waved his hand and caused a vast swarm of the fallen Keyblades to suddenly rise up and start flying through the air towards both him and his friends.

Aqua and the others did notice this however, and the blue haired woman was quick to warn the others just as Vanitas had jumped down from where he was standing next to Xehanort and begun riding on the storm of Keyblades like a surfboard. The four on the ground bellow Terra had to quickly scatter so that they were not hit, but it was not long before Terra was suddenly swarmed by the Keyblade storm and then thrown over the side of the cliff that he was running up. When Aqua saw this, she immediately stopped running so that she could cast a spell in order to help her friend, but her moment of pause allowed Xehanort to send a second storm of Keyblades up from beneath Aqua, tossing her into the air before she crashed back into the ground. Ven was quick to race to her side to make sure Aqua was okay, and he was relieved to see that the aside from the small amount of pain that had slipped through her armor's protection, the worst that had happened was that Aqua had lost her helmet sometime during the fall.

Aqua then propped herself up before using her Keyblade to cast a Reflect spell to save Terra from the Keyblade storm that had begun to bombard him, and the minute the sphere of light formed around Terra and then exploded outward, Terra found himself on top of the same cliff as Xehanort, just as the fallen master was drawing his Keyblade and Ansem and Xemnas appeared next to him with their own weapons or powers readied. Xehanort did not get the chance to strike at Terra though, as Ven suddenly came up from behind his former master so that he could attack from Xehanort's blind spot. However, Xehanort had sensed Ven's approach and quickly teleported away from Ven's strike before grabbing the boy by the back of his helmet. Terra tried to charge in to save his young friend, but the Keyblade storm that Vanitas was riding on suddenly came up from beneath him and shot him into the air, away from the three masters of darkness and the blonde and into the ground many miles below.

As Ven struggled to get out of Xehanort's grip, hearing his helmet beginning to crack as he did, he looked down to see that Aqua had finally managed to get back on her feet once again with a little assistance from Kairi just before he was suddenly overwhelmed with a cold feeling surging through his body. A minute later, he felt everything go stiff and cold, which served as a clear indication that Xehanort had just frozen the blonde solid, and thus, Ven was unable to stop himself from falling down the side of the cliff when Xehanort dropped him. Thankfully, someone else was able to catch Ven just before he shattered on the ground bellow, and he soon found himself gazing up at Sora's face just as he noticed Aqua and Kairi running over.

"Ven, are you okay," Aqua asked, worriedly.

 _"_ _The guy just turned me into a popsicle! What do you think,"_ Ven asked through the D-Link, since he was not quite able to use his frozen mouth just yet.

"Right, stupid question. Sorry," Aqua quickly apologized.

 _"_ _Did I just hear Aqua admit she said something stupid? Wow, it really must be the end of the worlds,"_ Terra's voice then said in all their minds, indicating that he was alright as well.

 _"_ _Too soon, Terra,"_ Sora immediately reprimanded.

 _"_ _Sorry, couldn't help it."_ Everyone then went quiet as Aqua and Kairi started to use some magic to heal and unfreeze Ven while Sora prepared to take a chance and attack their opponents, until Terra called out, _"Guys, you might not want to look up at the sky."_

When the other four did, they immediately wished that they had listened to Terra when he said to not look up, as they were immediately greeted by the sight of the dark clouds that had formed in the sky parting to reveal a massive, heart-shaped, blue moon shinning down on them. "Tell me that's not what I think it is," Sora pleaded.

"To do that would be lying, False Hero," Xemnas's cold voice suddenly echoed around them before both the Superior of the In-Between and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness appeared before them from a Dark Corridor. "It would seem that we have come full circle at last. The Keyblade Hero and his Princess of Heart face-to-face with the most powerful Heartless and Nobody to have ever existed. I suppose this must be destiny."

Neither Sora or Kairi dignified Xemnas's words with a response beyond a simple glare and moving to ready themselves for battle, and the two powerful, dark warriors took that as their cue to move to another area, clearly indicating that they were trying to lure Sora and Kairi away from Aqua and Ven so that the two from the future could face them without interference. Even though they knew this, Sora and Kairi were both still very much intent on going after their two old enemies, and so the former turned to Aqua and immediately said, "Keep Ven safe until he's unfrozen. We're going after Xemnas and Ansem."

Aqua nodded in understanding to the two, and then watched for a minute as they raced off after their old foes before turning her attention back to Ven so that she could focus on unfreezing him. As they continued chasing after the Nobody and the Heartless, Sora noticed Terra's Keyblade Glider flying up to the top of the cliff that Xehanort was watching from, indicating that Terra was going after Xehanort on his own, but he filed that away as something to deal with later, and instead just informed Aqua and Ven of the fact through the D-Link before he came to a stop, seeing as both Kairi and their opponents had done the same. Sora and Kairi then held their Keyblades up so that they were aimed directly at Ansem and Xemnas, which led both to give a humorless laugh as the former said, "Do you really believe that you can defeat us? The fact that you two exist like this proves that history has already changed, and that nothing you do can stop what is now the inevitable."

"Shows what you know," Sora retorted. "You've changed the past already, so that means we'll be able to do it just as well. Only difference is that we'll be changing it for the better."

"Foolish boy," Xemnas sighed. "Do you think that you can really undo what has already been done? Everything that you have done here will not simply vanish if you defeat us anymore than what we have done will. The changes to this timeline's history are very much permanent, whether they were made by us or by you. There is no way for you to change history to what it was once before."

"Maybe we can't change history back to its original state, but that doesn't mean we can't change things so that there's a better future," Kairi replied confidently. "We've got so many people counting on us to do that along with Aqua, Terra, and Ven, and we're not going to let any of our friends down."

"Then by all means, show us just how strong your versions of the power your friends give you truly is," Ansem requested as he summoned his Guardian forth and then dashed towards the two through the air. Sora and Kairi dived to either side and avoided the Heartless's attack, but that was all that the villains needed to have happen so that Sora was forced to fight against Xemnas while Kairi was left to fend for herself against Ansem. Sora did not let that deter him, as he quickly clashed his Keyblade against Xemnas's Ethereal Blades before he pushed the Nobody back and sent a powerful slash at him. When Xemnas jumped back to avoid Sora's attack, the spiky haired boy immediately leapt into the air and tossed his Keyblade towards Xemnas with all his might, and since Xemnas was still in the air, he could do nothing to stop the Ultima Weapon from hitting him dead center before it returned to Sora's hand in a flash of light.

Kairi was easily managing just as well in her battle against Ansem, as the Heartless had only been able to land a few lucky hits on her so far with his Guardian or a well-timed spell, but thankfully, the young woman was able to recover quickly before forcing him back with a quick barrage of spells. Kairi then charged forward and swung Royal Radiance with all her might in a fast, precise barrage of strikes that Ansem was not able to dodge entirely, before she used the momentum of her last swing to spin around and kick Ansem in the stomach. While Ansem was off balance, Kairi charged forward and brought down her Keyblade in a strong, diagonal slash that sent him flying across the battlefield and onto his back, and just as he was getting up, Kairi quickly used a Blizzaga spell to freeze Ansem where he was, incapacitating him for the moment, and freeing the girl up to go and lend a hand to Sora. As she raced over to her best friend, Kairi glanced up to where they knew Terra was, and prayed that he was alright, but that ended up being a fatal mistake, as the minute she brought her eyes forward again, she saw that Xemnas had somehow managed to get the upper hand on Sora, and was now preparing to drive his Ethereal Blade right through the spiky haired boy.

Sora was not entirely sure how it had happened himself, as all he knew was that one moment he had Xemnas on the ropes and was preparing to activate his Destiny Blaze Command Style in order to speed things up, and the next, Xemnas had blasted him onto the ground and then held him at blade point, readying his final strike. Sora did not close his eyes as Xemnas prepared to strike him though, as he had no intention of showing even the smallest sign of fear at the chance of his end approaching, but a minute later, he wished that he had closed his eyes, for they were soon met with a sight that made his blood run cold. Just as Xemnas was bringing his Ethereal Blade down, someone jumped into his path and took the hit for Sora, allowing him to roll out of the way in time, and Sora honestly hoped that he was wrong in thinking that the person who saved him in that way was not who he thought it was. Sadly, when he looked up towards said person, he quickly found out that he was right indeed.

There, with Xemnas's blade running through her chest and her eyes wide in pain, was none other than Kairi. Xemnas was also staring at the girl with his usual neutral look, but there was just a slight hint of surprise in them as he extracted the blade from the girl and let her stumble for a minute until she finally fell back, right into Sora's arms just as he had reached her, and as much as he hoped that Kairi was breathing hard because she was panting, he knew deep down that it was because she was struggling to breathe at all. Xemnas only smirked at the sight of the horrified boy before him as said boy held the dying girl in his arms before he moved to free Ansem form his icy prison so that they could move on to deal with their other targets, with Sora not paying them any mind at all, as he was much more concerned about the girl who was likely struggling just to keep her eyes open at this point.

"Kairi! Kairi, please say something," Sora begged as Kairi continued to pant.

"Sorry, Sora…I guess…I screwed up," Kairi weakly apologized.

"No you didn't, you saved my life, and that's not screwing up at all," Sora said as he started to desperately rummage through his many pockets. "You're going to be okay. I've got some Elixirs and Hi-Potions that we can use, and you'll be good as new in no time."

"No…don't," Kairi said as she tried to raise a hand to Sora's face. "It would…just be a…waste. You should save them…for your next fight with…those two."

"Don't say that," Sora begged. "I've got to help you."

"I'll be fine," Kairi insisted weakly. "But you need to…leave me here for now…and stop Xemnas…and Ansem. That's…more important."

"Stop talking like that! I can see that this isn't some small injury and you're too weak to do anything on your own," Sora insisted. Before he could say anything else, he was immediately cut off by Kairi's hand finally being placed against his face.

"Don't worry," Kairi told him. "After all…we promised…that we'd always be together…and we'd always come back…to one another. Now…go…before it's…too…late."

When those last words, Kairi let her hand drop and her eyes slowly close, before she began to fall limp in Sora's arms, much to Sora's horror. "No, Kairi! Kairi! Don't close your eyes! Please Kairi, wake up," Sora pleaded, his shouts almost echoing throughout the near empty battlefield, just as Ansem was freed from where he had been frozen before he left with Xemnas.

* * *

Terra had frozen for a moment in shock, as he was able to see Sora and Kairi's battle from where he was fighting Xehanort, and while he was happy to see that the two were doing quite well at the beginning, it was still quite horrifying to see Kairi being struck down in the way that she was. The fact that she had fallen back into Sora's arms while Xemnas and Ansem moved to escape from the two was able to tell a great deal to Terra, and he instantly felt a great anger boiling up inside him as he brought his attention onto Xehanort and swung Ends of the Earth at the elder master as hard as he could, clashing it against Xehanort's Keyblade as soon as he did.

Xehanort only smirked a bit at the sight that Terra had just seen before he turned to Vanitas and ordered, "Go take what Ventus owes you, take Aqua's life, and then assist Xemnas and Ansem in finishing off the two interlopers for good."

"No," Terra shouted as he watched Vanitas run off and then jump off the edge. Terra immediately pushed Xehanort back and then began to chase after the masked boy, but he had to pause and jump back again when Xehanort appeared in his path.

"You see how powerless you are to save them," Xehanort asked Terra. "Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you!"

Terra ignored the madman's words that were meant to cause him to be consumed by darkness, but he still knew that he would need to use his dark powers if he wanted to win this battle, and so, he began to let the darkness inside him build up as he prepared to unleash his Dark Impulse Command Style, all the while saying, "You will pay Xehanort. Was my master…no, my father, Eraqus not enough for you? Leave my friends alone!"

"Yes, boy, that's it! More," Xehanort encouraged, thinking that Terra was falling for his ploy. "Let your whole heart blacken with anger!"

"No. This isn't anger," Terra corrected as he finally released his Command Style in a burst of dark energy. "This is the power of the darkness that is used to protect!"

Xehanort was thrown off a little at Terra's declaration, and that little moment was exactly what Terra needed before he charged forward, unleashing the furry of his Command Style on the old man. Xehanort was able to teleport away from many of Terra's first strikes, but with Dark Impulse increasing the speed of his movements, Terra was able to easily keep up with the old man, forcing Xehanort to defend himself with his Keyblade more than he had expected he would have had to in this battle. This did not mean that Xehanort was unprepared for this, and he was quick to prove this by blasting Terra into the air by causing the ground beneath Terra's feet to suddenly blast him upwards. Thankfully, Terra was able to right himself in mid-air just before he hit the ground, and was thus able to intercept Xehanort when the older man brought his Keyblade down on him.

 _"_ _Aqua, we've got a serious problem,"_ Terra called out through the D-Link while he continued to push back against Xehanort's Keyblade with his own. When he did not hear anything in reply, he immediately began to worry before trying again. _"Aqua, can you hear me? Aqua?!"_

 _"_ _Terra, Aqua's hurt,"_ Ven's voice then cried out instead.

 _"_ _What happened,"_ Terra asked as he finally pushed Xehanort off and then threw his free hand forward to unleash a large, dark claw that blasted Xehanort away from him.

 _"_ _She was fighting some guy with an eye patch, who looked like he was guard of Radiant Garden's castle, I think his name was Braig, when he suddenly called it quits and ran off,"_ Ven explained. _"When Aqua tried to chase after him, Xemnas and Ansem got in her way and pushed her back into the path of Vanitas's Keyblade. She's unconscious now, and I think they're going to kill her!"_

 _"_ _Why didn't you do anything to help,"_ Terra questioned as he quickly ran away from the sudden barrage of stone pillars, fire blasts, and ice spells that Xehanort was trying to hit him with.

 _"_ _It's a little hard to help when you're barely even able to move your mouth enough to talk,"_ Ven stated, instantly reminding Terra that he had been frozen at the moment. _"I'm just about free now, and if they touch her, I will make them pay. I could still use a hand though. Where's Sora and Kairi? I thought they were supposed to be dealing with Ansem and Xemnas anyways?"_

 _"_ _You're not gonna like hearing this,"_ Terra replied as he brought his Keyblade up to deflect a sphere of dark magic that Xehanort had thrown at him right back at the disgraced master along with a few more before Xehanort finally ceased the use of the Shotlock he had tried to hit Terra with. _"Kairi's hurt, and from what I could see a minute ago, it didn't look good. Something tells me that Sora's not doing so well either given how he was holding her and screaming her name a minute ago."_

Ven could only gasp in shock through the D-Link, and if what he sensed a minute later was any indication, that was all the motivation that Ven needed to finally break himself free from the last of the ice that was holding him and charge into battle against Vanitas, Xemnas, and Ansem on his own. Terra knew full well that there was no chance that Ven would be able to fight all three of those enemies by himself, but he also knew that as long as Xehanort was still standing, he would not be able to go help Ven either, so Terra brought his full attention onto the man who had tricked him into helping to murder Eraqus, and charged in with his Command Style's energy charged. As he clashed Keyblades with Xehanort once again, Terra's only thought was, _Sora, I hope you can help Ven soon, and that for your sake, Kairi's alright. Aqua, please don't let Ven face this alone._

* * *

Sora's eyes were raining tears of dismay as he continued trying to wake Kairi up, but no matter what he did, the redhead would not answer him or open her eyes. Even so, Sora did not want to believe what he was seeing and continued to shake Kairi as he held her close and softly begged, "Please Kairi, you've gotta fight this! I've already lost so much now, but it never mattered not only because we would be able to get it back after completing our quest, but also because I still had you with me. It won't matter to me if we do succeed and get our home and friends back after defeating Xehanort and the forces of darkness unless you're there. Don't you see, Kairi? I care about you so much that I can't live without you. You're more than just my best friend. You're everything to me! Please, don't leave me!"

Sora was now openly sobbing as he begged and pleaded with the now clearly unconscious girl, his shoulders shaking horribly with each word, until he suddenly stopped his sobbing and shaking, and slowly opened his eyes as he whispered, "You're everything to me." He then gently set Kairi down for a minute as he dismissed his armor completely and began rummaging through his many pockets once again whispering, "Where is it? Where is it?" until he finally smiled at having found the item in question, and pulled it out to reveal a small, clear blue potion bottle. "I really hope this works like you said it's supposed to Elsa," Sora then said as he uncapped the lid on the vial, remembering what the queen of Arendelle had said when she gave it to him as he did.

* * *

 _Ven, Aqua, and Terra were celebrating being reunited with Mickey after telling Sora and Kairi everything that they had found out in the future, especially the details involving the evil, future Sora, and the two had decided to stand off to the side as the four had their small celebration. As she looked on at the happy sight, Kairi looked to Sora for a minute and asked, "Hey Sora, what do you think happened? You know, to that evil Sora that Aqua and the others met in the future. What do you think caused him to become what he is?"_

 _Sora crossed his arms in thought for a minute, truly not sure what to say in response to Kairi's question, and that alone was something that really worried him. "I don't know, but I'm not entirely sure I want to," Sora finally admitted. "I mean, it would have to be something pretty bad if it caused that kind of changes in me, especially given all that we've been through so far."_

 _Kairi smiled to show that she agreed with him before she said, "Well, I was thinking about what Aqua had said about their meeting, and something kind of stuck out to me. Evil Sora said that he was doing what he was doing because he wanted to create a perfect existence and so that he would be able to get back everything he lost. Does that last part mean anything to you, like is there something that means so much to you that you would do whatever it takes to protect it and get it back if that thing was ever lost?"_

 _Sora felt his face heat up in response to Kairi's question, as he knew right away his answer to her question was actually Kairi herself, but he was not sure he was quite ready to tell her that yet. Still this was Kairi, and Sora knew full well that it would take a miracle to keep him from answering her question since she was so stubborn about this sort of thing. Thankfully, he received a miracle when Elsa suddenly showed up and called him over, saying that there was something really important that she needed to speak with him about. Feeling that he would be rude if he were to refuse for any reason, Sora quickly excused himself from Kairi and made his way over to Elsa, feeling the look of disappointment on Kairi's face the whole way as he went._

 _"_ _What's up, your highness," Sora asked when he reached Elsa._

 _Elsa had to giggle a bit at Sora's behavior before she became serious and said, "I just wanted to thank you again for all that you and your friends did to help me, my sister, and our kingdom, and I also wanted to warn you of something."_

 _"_ _What's that," Sora asked, immediately getting worried when he saw how serious Elsa was._

 _"_ _Do you remember the legend I told you about when you and Kairi arrived at my ice castle with Anna? The one about Sora the Brave and Princess Kairi," Elsa asked. When Sora nodded in reply, Elsa continued by saying, "Well, according to the legend, the two were deeply in love with each other and would do anything to keep one another safe, but they never told each other both because they were unsure of the other's feelings and because their quest was so important. Eventually they did fulfill their quest, but it came at a terrible price. Princess Kairi was killed in the final battle, and in his grief at not being able to save his love, Sora the Brave became Sora the Terrible, and he nearly plunged all of existence in darkness, until three brave warriors rose up to end his tyranny. The legend then went on to say that it was foretold that the two would one day be reborn so that they may meet again and face the same quest, in the hopes that they would be able to avoid the destiny that their past lives had faced, but it would only be so if the reincarnation of Sora the Brave would be able to recognize what was most important to him and let his heart guide his actions away from any darkness."_

 _"_ _So…are you saying that, if the legend's true…then Kairi might," Sora asked, barely able to believe what he had just heard. He then glanced over at Kairi, and immediately became mesmerized by her beautiful, amethyst eyes, her long, flowing red hair, her soft, kind smile, and her lovely laugh that sounded like ringing bells to his ears, ultimately leading him to look back at Elsa and say, "No way. I'll never let that happen to her. I'll always save Kairi no matter what it takes even if I have to give up my own life for it."_

 _Elsa smiled in response to Sora's declaration, and then pulled out a small, crystal blue vial from the sleeve of her dress and handed to him as she explained, "Then you should take this. Someone who said that he was a friend of yours thought you might need it, and he explained that it's a special elixir that had been in his family for generations. The magical properties in it are said to be able to allow it to work miracles on anything if used by the right person for the right reasons, but it is also very hard to make so this is all he could prepare for you."_

 _Sora hesitated for a minute before he finally accepted the vial as he asked, "What was this person's name?"_

 _"_ _He didn't give it," Elsa replied. "He just said that he was one of the first people you and Kairi met when you arrived in Arendelle and that he wanted to make sure his friends would be alright."_

 _Sora smiled in thanks to Elsa as he pocketed the vial, and he then let his smile grow a little wider when he started to gain an idea as to who it was that had given Elsa the potion before rejoining Kairi in watching their friends finish celebrating their reunion so that they could head out for the Keyblade Graveyard._

* * *

"Please work," Sora whispered as he gently tipped the vial and let a small amount of the supposed miracle elixir onto Kairi's wound. He then watched as the small amount glowed a little, slowly closing up Kairi's stab wound as it did, until he placed a hand near her heart, relieved to find that it was beating at a steady, normal beat. A minute later, his smile became much brighter when he saw Kairi's eyes slowly begin to open and then fixate themselves on him in surprise.

"Sora, what…" Kairi started to ask, but she was quickly cut off and thrown into complete surprise when Sora pulled her closer and connected his lips to hers. Kairi's eyes were wide with shock at Sora's sudden action, but they immediately snapped shut as she returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around Sora's neck, running her fingers through his spiky hair as soon as she did, while Sora placed the crystal vile on the ground next to him so that he could wrap Kairi in his arms completely. The feelings that the two felt running through them were more powerful than anything they could have ever have hoped to describe, but it was not a feeling of burning passion, great desire, or any other sort of cliché description that you would find in a typical romance novel, but rather a feeling so intense and powerful that they could only describe it as something that just felt right.

When Sora finally released Kairi from the kiss, the girl barely suppressed a whimper of sadness, indicating that she did not want it to end just yet, and he then smiled as he said, "You were right before, Kairi. There is something that I consider to be everything to me, or rather some _one_ I consider as such." Sora then took a deep breath before he finally said, "It's you, Kairi. You're the most important thing in my life, because…I…I love you. I love you with all my heart and I would give up everything if it meant I would be able to spend just one day with you, Kairi."

Kairi looked at Sora with a stunned look before she finally smiled a bright, loving smile at him and captured his lips in another kiss and then said, "I love you too."

Sora smiled through the kiss that Kairi was sharing with him, and the two would have continued on from there if they could, but they knew that there was still a job that needed to be done, so as soon as they ended their loving embrace once again, Sora stood and helped Kairi to her feet again, and they both nodded to each other, knowing exactly what they had to do. The two then focused on all the power they had inside of them and unleashed their Tier Two Command Styles, and with the extra powers that the two abilities gave them, they immediately charged off into battle once more, already knowing exactly where they would find their opponents for round two.

* * *

 **(The Future)**

Roxas could not help but cry out in pain as he was thrown into the side of Yen Sid's tower, but he was extremely thankful that he was able to keep his hold on both of his Keyblades as he flew through the air, despite the pain. Roxas then pulled himself back to his feet with assistance from Oblivion, but when he looked up, he was only greeted by the sight of Evil Sora standing over him with the χ-blade being held at the blonde's head. "Was this really supposed to be the best you could do," Sora asked Roxas. "What in all the worlds made you think that you, a puppet, and a boy who had been scarred by darkness could possibly stop me?"

"Here's a hint: his name is Sora, and he is a guy who never gave up in his fight to protect the worlds and his friends no matter, but you, you're barely even a shell of the man he was," Roxas retorted angrily. "You're a complete disgrace Sora!"

 _"_ _Um, Roxas, I think Sora heard that. He seems a bit annoyed with you at the moment for some reason,"_ Naminé called out to Roxas through the D-Link that they learned that they could form just a short while ago.

 _"_ _Well tell him I didn't mean him, I meant this evil bastard that's trying to kill me,"_ Roxas thought in reply.

 _"_ _I…can't help but think that's basically the same thing,"_ Naminé admitted.

Roxas did not have time to reply, as Evil Sora was raising the χ-blade once again in order to strike him, only for Xion to race in from behind and land an attack on his back with her Two Become One Keyblade. The ebony haired girl then spun around on one foot before firing a blast of ice magic at Evil Sora's side, and then leapt away so that she could get clear and lead the madman that was once a great champion of light away from Roxas. She succeeded a little too well in this endeavor, as Evil Sora was directly in front of her before she could even blink, and had grabbed her by the throat to start choking the life out of her, causing her to drop her Keyblade when he grabbed her.

"You know, I'll be honest, the main reason why I kept you around aside from wanting to save you from you're original fate was because of the fact that you look so much like her, and you're personality actually has some similarities to hers as well, but now, I can see that it may have been a mistake to let my emotions guide such a decision," Evil Sora revealed to Xion as he tightened his grasp around her throat, leading Xion to do whatever she could as she desperately tried to get him to cease his vice-grip on her throat.

Eventually, Evil Sora was forced to relinquish his grip on Xion, when an enraged Riku suddenly struck him in the back with a Dark Cannon, the impact of which had led him to slacken his grip enough for Xion to slip out of his hand and jump away. Evil Sora then turned to look at Riku in amusement as he said, "You know, that actually tickled. Are you trying to make me laugh to death? Come on Riku, I thought you were stronger that."

Riku's face scrunched up even further in anger than before in response to Sora's obvious mocking, and he did not hesitate for a second for a second to charge the leader of the forces of darkness in order to attack with everything he had in his enraged state. As soon as he was in striking distance, Riku lashed out with everything he had, but unfortunately it was either parried or barely paid any mind by the evil Sora, who eventually yawned in boredom and then blasted Riku away with his own Dark Cannon. When Riku tried to stand up again, he found himself facing the end of the χ-blade's tip, just as Roxas had been a minute ago, while Sora just grinned at him out of pride.

That grin quickly vanished when a sudden flash of light erupted from Evil Sora's chest, and caused him to falter in his stance, giving Riku the chance to trip him up and then get away, until the silver haired boy was standing alongside Roxas and Xion once again. The three then looked on as another flash of light erupted from Evil Sora, and the dark master held his chest in pain while the χ-blade seemed to gain a slight shadow over it. "What's…what's happening…to me," Evil Sora demanded. "Where is this…this burst of light…coming from?!"

The three were all confused by what had happened until Roxas asked, "Hey do you guys think that…"

"Sora and Kairi figured out what happened and somehow stopped it," Xion finished for her blonde, brotherly friend.

"I'm thinking that's exactly what happened," Riku replied. "And now the light inside of him is starting to surge and counteract his darkness, making his powers unreliable and that χ-blade unstable."

"No…this can't be…I'm so close," Evil Sora protested as the time stream continued to fall apart around him. "So close…I will not be denied when I am right on the verge of victory!"

"Now he knows how just about every villain or opponent he's dealt with feels," Xion muttered to the two, getting immediate nods in response before they all suddenly sensed a familiar, yet strange presence from all around them.

 _"_ _Stop it Sora,"_ a voice that sounded a lot like an older version of Kairi's then cried out, leading them all to freeze in shock. _"This isn't you. Please don't do this. Don't you see if you go through with it you'll be breaking my heart?"_

"K…Kai…Kairi," Evil Sora whispered. "Is that…no, it can't be…you…you died. You died in my arms and I could do nothing to save you! How could you even want me to stop when I'm doing all this for you! All of this is so we can finally be together again! This…this is some kind of trick! Yes, that's it! A ploy by that old fool, Yen Sid to make me surrender!" Evil Sora's face then turned into a dark scowl that promised great pain to any who fell into its gaze. "You won't stop me with such underhanded tricks you bastards! I will never forgive you for trying to disgrace her memory this way! DO YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!"

The voice then called out once more, this time much more faintly than it was at first, and pleaded, _"Please stop him Riku, Roxas, and Xion. It's the only way to save him and return him to being the Sora I once knew and fell in love with. I've already done all I can, so it's up to you now. Good luck."_

A minute later, the presence that they could all feel when the voice had first begun speaking had faded away completely, and the three Keybearers had all gained a new fire of determination as they readied their Keyblades for battle once again. "You just wasted your last shot at redemption, and now you're going to pay the price for all the crimes you've committed against the worlds," Riku stated as he held his Keyblade by his head as he normally did.

"And for all the people you've brought so much suffering to, including those of your own forces," Xion added.

"Whatever it takes, you're plans will end here. This time you're going to pay for all the terrible things you've done, SORA," Roxas then finished with a shout, and the three then charged in to face the true final battle in the war between light and darkness.

* * *

 **(The Past)**

Ven was struggling a great deal. That much was clear as day to anyone, not just because of how much he was panting, but from how he seemed to be struggling just to stand up, even while using his Keyblade as a crutch to help pull himself up. The fact that he had taken such a beating was not all that helpful either, as Ansem and Xemnas had attacked him at every moment they could when it seemed like he was about to gain the upper hand against Vanitas, and now, he was just trying to do what he could to stand up and get away from the masked boy who was now approaching him, and removing said mask as he did, granting Ventus with the sight of an appearance that looked a great deal like Sora's except with black hair and the same yellow eyes that Xehanort had.

"I'll admit, you've definitely gotten better, but considering how this fight went, it was still incredibly boring," Vanitas told Ven as he finally revealed his face to the blonde. "I guess that's what I get for fighting three against one though. Oh well, at least I'll finally have exactly what I deserve."

"Why," Ven struggled to say as he started to rise up. "Why do you…look like Sora?"

That question caused Vanitas to stop in his tracks for a moment as he gained a thoughtful expression and replied, "Huh, you know that's something that I've been wondering about myself. I mean, when the old coot first created me, I didn't have any face at all, just that stupid mask, but then one day, I looked in the mirror and saw this face. Xehanort and I both tried to figure out how it happened for a little while, but in the end, we decided it wasn't all that important. Guess we'll never know now, seeing as you're about to meet your end, huh?"

Vanitas then raised his Keyblade over his head, aiming to land the final blow, only to have to jump back when a sphere of light magic nearly hit him. A small glow from a healing spell then lit up Ven's body as someone then shouted, "Not if we have anything to say about it! Command Style: Trinity Blade Finisher!"

With those words, a blur suddenly began racing around Vanitas, telekinetically throwing the three Keyblades at Vanitas, and forming a faint image of the crown symbol on Sora's necklace. When the image was finally formed completely, two of the Keyblades positioned themselves in striking position of their target, and the blur solidified to reveal Sora in his armor, minus the helmet, before he fired a beam of energy from the Ultima Weapon that tore through the center of both the crown symbol and Vanitas, just as the other two Keyblades did the same, releasing a blinding explosion of light. Vanitas was just barely able to come out of Sora's surprise attack unscathed, and Xemnas and Ansem were about to run over and assist him when another voice shouted, "Command Style: Eternal Illuminator Finisher!"

The next thing that either of the two knew, a bright bluish-silver blur was slashing at them multiple times in a way that formed a five-point star, and once said star had been formed, a group of magic spheres were suddenly formed and had taken a position at each point on the star. The blur then stopped in the air and revealed itself to be Kairi, who like Sora was wearing her armor without the helmet, and said Princess of Heart was quick to spin her Keyblade around in one hand and then swing once to unleash an explosion of light magic that quickly consumed both the Heartless of Xehanort and the Superior of the In-Between. Kairi then cast a quick healing spell on Aqua as she landed next to Sora and Ven, and the three then leveled a determined look with the three glares that were being thrown at them as Ansem shouted, "How is that girl is still alive? What did you do?! TELL US!"

"You wouldn't understand even if we did tell you," Sora replied with a smirk. "You're a Heartless, Xemnas is a Nobody, and Vanitas's heart is too clouded with darkness to ever even attempt to understand it. I've told you before, no matter how dark things get, there will always be a light that never goes out to guide us through the darkness."

Xemnas just scoffed at the boy's reply before he said, "It does not matter either way. We defeated you all once, and we shall do so again if we must. There is nothing any of you can do to change the fact that we have far more power than any of you ever could."

"Get real," Ven scoffed in reply. "Last I checked we're not the ones who just got blown away by two seriously powerful Command Styles and now look like crap."

"You really are an idiot," Vanitas stated. "Doesn't matter how hard you try, you'll never have enough power to beat us and live."

"Maybe not on our own," Sora calmly said. "But then again, we're not alone. We've got all our friends backing us up and cheering for us."

"Terra, Aqua, Roxas, Xion, Riku, and so many others…they're all counting on us to stop you and save both the worlds and the future from your darkness," Ven then said. "And the fact that they believe in us so much is more than enough reason to keep fighting, because its giving us all the strength we'll need to finish this battle."

"None of us are alone, we never were and we never will be, because we'll always have friends who are looking out for us even if they can't be right beside us," Kairi added before the three looked directly into their opponents eyes, and spoke as one.

"We don't need a weapon to defeat you. Our friends are our power, and we're theirs," the three finished as one, and that was all the prompting that any of them needed to charge in and attack the three with all they had, driving Vanitas away from the two intruders from another time.

"You guys handle Xemnas and Ansem," Ven shouted to Sora and Kairi. "Vanitas is mine."

Sora and Kairi both nodded in agreement, and then turned to face the two villains of another timeline in battle once again. "Oh please, you couldn't beat us with just the two of you before, and you've already used up the power of those precious Command Styles of yours, which I doubt you'll be able to reactivate any time soon, so what makes you think you can now," Xemnas scoffed.

"Maybe not on our own," Sora admitted. "But the Command Styles aren't the only things in our arsenal of abilities. This time, we're bringing down the _final_ curtain on you."

A minute after he had said that, Sora and Kairi both focused all their power and began to emit a faint, white glow from their bodies. The glow then began to grow in intensity until it finally exploded in a flash of light just as the two shouted together, "Final Form, drive on!"

The explosion of light seemed to illuminate almost every corner of the battlefield, prompting everyone nearby to shield their eyes, including Terra and Xehanort, who were closest to the heart shaped moon that Xehanort caused to appear in the sky and so far away from the battle on the ground below, and even Mickey, who had quickly raced over to move the still unconscious Aqua out of the way so that she would not be harmed in the chaos of the battle. When the light finally began to fade, there was no longer any doubt that the beginning of the end had finally come for both this battle, and the mission that two different forces shared for different purposes, and only one would emerge victorious and succeed in altering history.

* * *

 **Yen Sid Report 12:**

 **I will never forget the day when Sora and Kairi learned of the existence of the Ultima Weapon and Royal Radiance Keyblades, as their faces had lit up with joy and hope at the prospect of obtaining such powerful Keyblades that they would no doubt use to help end the war faster. As such, they always made it a priority to search the worlds they traveled to so that they could find the necessary materials that would allow them to fashion the powerful blades whenever they were able to afterwards. They would often return with looks of joy at finding so much as one piece of the puzzle to the two Keyblades while other times they would be mildly disappointed if they did not, whether or not they had succeeded in their original purpose for traveling to the world they traveled to. Of course, if they were able to find an ingredient and failed, their good moods were reasonably dampened, but there was no hiding that they were still glad to have found the materials regardless.**

 **Finally, their long search for the various ingredients came to an end when they returned with the final ingredient that they each needed for both Keyblades, and soon after, they were able to lay both of their eyes on the fully completed form of the most powerful Keyblades that they had ever seen. After testing the Keyblades out both in actual battle on missions and in training, I had expected them to never use any Keyblade other than those two again, but I found myself met with a rather pleasant surprise instead. The two ended up deciding that they would only use the power of these mighty Keyblades when it was absolutely necessary, and it battles that truly mattered more in our efforts than any other, and they have continued to follow that oath ever since.**

 **The fact that they show such restraint when it comes to holding such powerful weapons is another reason why it is clear that they truly are worthy of their titles as Masters of the Keyblade, and I am certain that the Ultima Weapon and the Royal Radiance Keyblades will serve Sora and Kairi well in the battles that are still to come whenever the two feel they need them, just as I am certain that the creation of these very blades is a sign that the end of all our hardships will soon be upon us all.**

* * *

 ** _AN: So yeah, now you know what had happened to give rise to Evil Sora, and now the good-guy Sora prevented it, which is now messing with Evil Sora's power, giving Riku, Roxas, and Xion just the break they needed. Show of hands, who didn't see that coming? No really, who did not see Kairi having something to do with Sora's descent into darkness, because I can't help but feel like I made it extremely obvious when the matter first came up. I know it's a bit cliche and worn and all, but come on, give a guy a break. Did you really think that I'd be able to find a way to give Sora a chance to have a peaceful, romantic moment to confess his feelings in this story?_**

 ** _Now, the fact that Sora and Kairi switched to the Ultima Weapon and Royal Radiance Keyblades for the final battle. Yeah, I had them have those as a last resort, and I know it technically isn't in the games, but in this story, Royal Radiance is basically Kairi's version of the Ultima Weapon, and I spent a lot of time looking through the different Keyblades before I made my decision on that so don't hate or judge me on that. The Yen Sid Report on the Keyblades at the end there is actually kind of my way of explaining how I somehow always end up only looking for a way to create the Ultima Weapon after I beat the main story of the game and how much of a pain it is to do so, because let's face it, there are people who do that, and even if you do it before clearing the main story, it is a serious pain in the neck._**

 ** _Also, if you're wondering why I didn't go into detail on some of the battles that Terra, Aqua, and Ven were having, it's mostly because at the basic level, they've pretty much played out like they did originally in Birth By Sleep, so I figured why waste your time making you read about something that you've already seen happen when you could read about the new stuff? You're not likely to see much more of Terra's battle against Xehanort, even though I am planning on trying to work it in somehow, but for the most part, the next chapter will mostly talk about the other battles that will be unfolding, except for the battle inside of Ven's heart between Ven and Vanitas, that's also pretty much the same as last time as well._**

 ** _Now I know at this point you're probably thinking I'm being lazy and just leaving all the stuff in BBS as it was before while adding Sora and Kairi into the mix along with the battle in the future, but I promise you, I will be trying to change some things so that they are different from before, but it probably won't be all that much. If you want anymore ideas on what will happen next time, Onto the Preview!..._**

 ** _The final battles are here. Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Aqua, and Terra face off with Xehanort, Vanitas, Xemnas, and Ansem; Roxas, Xion, and Riku face off with Evil Sora. Who will win in the end? Who will face destruction? Who will survive? Just what will happen when the dust settles and everyone discovers the results of the mission that Sora and Kairi had undertaken? Find out the answers, next time._**

 ** _Riku: Well that was short._**

 ** _Sora: No kidding. He basically just told us what we already know while throwing us a bunch of questions to keep us guessing._**

 ** _AN: What, did you expect more than that? Sorry, that would've given away a whole mess of spoilers. Anyways..._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	18. Right to the End

_**AN: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, creatures and beings of all shapes, sizes, and ages, I present to you...Oh who am I kidding. Like you all don't already know what this is.**_

 _ **Xehanort: The final chapter of this absurd tale that shows signs of being incredibly childish beyond imagination.**_

 _ **[AN hits control and Xehanort gets blasted into the air before being assaulted by a massive barrage of beam weapons, energon blasts, magic spells, and all other forms of attacks and powers that have been used in lyokoMARVELanime fanfictions up until now]**_

 _ **AN: Okay most of you know what this is, and are smart enough to not talk such major crap about it like some people [points at the ashen-ed, unconscious Xehanort as he says "some people"]**_

 _ **Sora: It's the chapter that ends the final battles in this story, where good and evil finally clash for one last time, friends give their all in order to protect friends, revelations are had, and unexpected outcomes arise!**_

 _ **AN: Hey!...That was actually really good. Better than what I was gonna say to be honest.**_

 _ **Sora: Really? Thanks.**_

 _ **AN: Don't ruin the moment.**_

 _ **Sora: Sorry.**_

 _ **AN: Anyways, I won't keep you all any longer, so let's get on with the show, and start by rolling the disclaimer so you can start reading the chapter.**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Chapter XVIII**

When Xemnas and Ansem had finally been able to see through the light that had erupted from Sora and Kairi, they were greeted with the sight of the two Keybearers both being in their Final Forms. Sora's outfit had turned silvery white and black with symbols on his pants that resembled an eye with a wind pattern, while Kairi's appearance had turned brilliant, shinning gold and purple with the same symbol being on the center of her dress, and instead of holding their Keyblades, they both had their Keyblades hovering behind their backs in a position that slightly seemed like that of floating wings, which was appropriate seeing as neither of the two were standing on the ground, but instead were floating above the ground as their clothes and hair seemed to slowly flow in a light wind. In addition to his Ultima Weapon, Sora also had a Keyblade with a hilt that had an ogre-like face with yellow eyes and fin-like extrusions, a long blade that was red with three, pointed teeth where the Keyblade's teeth normally were, and a token that resembled a jug, while Kairi's additional Keyblade seemed to be made up of thirteen Mushroom Heartless, four in the links and Keychain, two on the handle, and seven on the blade itself, and slightly resembled Sora's Ultima Weapon Keyblade with the heart shape at the tip of the weapon. These Keyblades were known as Guardian Soul and Winner's Proof, respectively, and the Keybearers were fully intent on using them to take down the dark villains that did not belong in this time.

Kairi was the first to move, racing through the air towards Xemnas, and with a few waves of her arms, she sent both of her Keyblades flying at the leader of Organization XIII, unleashing a storm of attacks with ease. She then followed up with a barrage of spells that were much more powerful than they normally were, and ultimately forced Xemnas to do whatever he could just to dodge or even block the attacks as best he could, for what good it was worth, as Kairi's attacks always managed to hit him or get through his blocks just enough for him to be dealt an injury. Ansem was about to try and assist his Nobody counterpart, but he did not get the chance to move close when Sora suddenly swooped in and sent Guardian Soul and Ultima Weapon flying at him at a speed that seemed to just barely exceed that of Kairi's. The Heartless was not all that worried, as he knew full well that the Final Form was better used against Nobodies, but his mood soon changed when Sora's attacks were able to deal a serious amount of damage to him just from grazing him. The two Keybearers then leapt into the air and spun around each other before throwing their arms outwards and sending the four Keyblades towards the ground, unleashing a powerful burst of light as they did, and blasting the two off their feet once more, effectively sending the two flying through the air before they crashed down onto the ground.

Xemnas and Ansem were both completely stunned by the sudden surge of power that the two were now throwing at them, and they took that to be a sure sign that the Keyblade Wielders from the future were no longer holding anything back, which served as all the more reason why they should not do so either. Xemnas then began to glow a bit before his black coat turned white with black stripes, and he immediately charged forward with his Ethereal Blades ready to strike down the two with all he had, but Sora was quick to intercept the Nobody's attack by sending one of his Keyblades into the path of the blade, just as it was coming down, and thus the two were engaged in battle once again while Kairi quickly charged in to take on Ansem and the Guardian he had just summoned. From that point on, the combatants had begun to move and fight at speeds that were so incredible that it would be nothing short of amazing if someone were able to easily keep up with their movements, and even if they could, it would almost seem like they were evenly matched, but to a well trained fighter, it was clear as day that Sora and Kairi were easily holding an advantage over the two dark beings.

Sadly, the same could not be said for Ven as he was forced to pull out all the stops in his fight with the now unmasked Vanitas. Since the fight was now fully one-on-one, the blonde was able to keep all his focus on the embodiment of his own darkness, but it was quite clear that the opposite was just as true for Vanitas, as the spiky, black haired boy was fighting him with a ferocity that he had never shown before, even as he cast his dark magic spells at Ven. It honestly surprised Ven that he was able to block the orbs of dark magic that Vanitas fired at him, but he was just thankful he was able to keep Vanitas from gaining an advantage by flying around on any more storms of fallen Keyblades by firing off a Shotlock at Vanitas just as the dark warrior had summoned and jumped onto said storms, and eventually, Ven was able to access the powers of his Fever Pitch Command Style so that he could better keep up with Vanitas, sadly, his good fortune did not last long.

Not a minute after Ven had activated his Fever Pitch, Vanitas immediately began to move much faster than before. Granted it was not enough to match the speed of Ven's Command Style, but it was just enough to evade the blonde and even land a number of serious hits on him. Ven was extremely glad that he had his armor on at those times, because he was sure that if that was not the case he would likely have been nearly killed by Vanitas's attacks. Just as Vanitas was about to land another of said types of attacks on him from behind, Ven quickly spun around and intercepted the attack with Wayward Wind, and then pushed Vanitas back before casting a Magnega spell to hold the dark haired boy at bay for a few seconds as he activated his Wingblade Command Style.

Seeing Ven activate his Tier Two Command Style caused Vanitas to give a small smirk in response, even as Ventus charged in and threw his multi-blade attack at the embodiment of the blonde's darkness. Vanitas did of course try to either dodge or deflect the attacks, but it was clear that he was not able to do so completely, and he still received a great deal of injury, until he was eventually knocked onto his back. Ven then leapt into the air to unleash his Command Style's finisher, but before he could, a dark aura began to build up around Vanitas and then spread out around them in a small circle. Once the circle had been completely formed, Ven was suddenly pounced on and then pinned down by numerous Unversed.

"So the Unversed do come from you," Ven shouted as he struggled to get free of the monsters holding him down, feeling his Command Style's energy fading away as he did.

"So you're not as stupid as I thought you were," Vanitas chuckled as he manifested more of the different types of Unversed around him. "You see, it happened when you and I were split into two. The negativity took shape as these monsters. They are what I feel; a horde of fledgling emotions under my control. I then released them in all the worlds I could, hoping to lure you away from home and isolate you from your master and precious friends. We needed to make you stronger, and the Unversed were the perfect opponents, and better yet, no matter how many times you and your friends defeated them, their negativity would always flow right back into me. I'll admit that at one point you actually had me a bit worried when you went into hiding both from us and your friends, and also after those two meddlers showed up, but in the end, all my efforts have paid off. You never stood a chance against us Ventus."

"That's what you think," Ven shouted as his Command Style's glow finally died down while he continued trying to break free. "Even if you do manage to win somehow, I'll still stop you. My friends will stop you, and you'll only end up with nothing but the darkness you indulge in as your company in the afterlife."

"Oh please," Vanitas then cackled. "Don't you get it? You've already beaten me, but in the end, it didn't matter. I still won, because now that my body is about to perish, we have no choice but to become one again, and then the χ-blade will finally be forged at last!"

A minute later, Vanitas walked up to Ven, and then seemed to disappear into the blonde in a burst of light, and the power that burst released was enough to send out a massive wave of energy that was stronger than any wind any had ever been caught in. Sora and Kairi were lucky that their Final Forms were able to keep them were they were, while the barely conscious forms of Xemnas and Ansem were sent flying away into a large boulder, knocking them both out, and giving the two from the future just the chance they needed to drive one of their Keyblades through both of their chests, destroying both the Heartless and the Nobody in an instant. The two then looked to see that Mickey was struggling to keep Aqua's unconscious form from being thrown even further away from them than it already was, and the two quickly rushed over to protect both the cartoon mouse and the young master as well, hoping that Terra was alright and praying the Ven would be alright as well as they did.

* * *

Xehanort had just fallen to one knee, panting hard as he supported himself as best as he could on his Keyblade, while Terra stood over him, victorious at last when a sudden explosion of light up into the sky behind the brunette and into the blue, heart-shaped moon above. When he saw this, Xehanort's face lit up with joy as he pointed towards it and exclaimed, "There, you see?"

Terra immediately spun around to where Xehanort had indicated, and was shocked to see the pillar of light that was racing upwards to the sky. It did not take Terra long to figure out what that power was, as the moment he had laid eyes on the pillar of energy, he could immediately sense a familiar presence coming off of it. "VEN," Terra cried out in horror.

"The χ-blade has been forged," Xehanort exclaimed proudly. "And now, Terra, it is time for the final union!"

Terra immediately turned back to ask what the old man was going on about now, only to freeze in horror once again when he saw Xehanort impale himself with his own Keyblade. Such an act confused Terra at first, but he knew that Xehanort never did anything without a reason, and he immediately summoned forth his armor so that he could at least try and protect himself from whatever the madman had planned.

"At last, our moment is here," Xehanort then revealed as his body began to glow and then fade, until his Keyblade finally vanished, and an orb of light floated out of his chest. "Out with the old and brittle vessel, and in with a younger, stronger new one! I swore I would survive and be there to see what awaited beyond the Keyblade War, and now it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me, Terra!"

Terra immediately raised his Keyblade in response, hoping to defend himself, but it proved futile, as the orb just raced right through the mystical weapon and into his chest. The minute it did, Terra could feel the darkness inside him growing immensely stronger than it had ever been before. He tried his hardest to fight back against it, only to find that it was like trying to stop a train that was moving at its maximum speeds with his bare hands. The last thing that Terra was able to fully register before losing consciousness was Xehanort's now empty body disappearing completely, and the boy then fell into shadows, seemingly lost to the darkness that had now been forced to overpower him.

Terra's armor then fell away as he dropped his Keyblade, revealing his once brown hair and blue eyes had turned stark white and sickly yellow when it did, and he then spoke in a voice that likely belonged to a younger Xehanort as he said, "This heart belongs again to darkness."

He then summoned Xehanort's Keyblade to his hand and began to take his leave, until Terra's discarded armor suddenly came together once again and sprang to life, holding the Ends of the Earth Keyblade tightly in its grasp as it summoned a powerful barrier around the plateau. The boy that was now possessed by Xehanort merely laughed under his breath at how Terra's will was still continuing to fight against him through his lost armor and Keyblade, and then merely dropped into a battle stance, intending to destroy the last remnant of his former existence with this battle.

* * *

 **(The Future)**

The battle between Evil Sora and Roxas, Xion, and Riku had now become evenly matched, as it was clear that even with the χ-blade's power now being corrupted, Evil Sora was still able to fight at a very strong level. Riku was just glad that it was a level that he could match with Roxas and Xion's help now as his last burst from his Dark Cannon was now able to inflict a mild amount of injury on the fallen master who had once been his friend in another lifetime. Riku then capitalized on Evil Sora's off-balance state by rushing in and dealing a pair of swift, yet powerful strikes with his Keyblade, and then jumped away before Evil Sora could grab him by the throat in retaliation. He then spun around and fired another barrage from his Dark Cannon at Evil Sora, but this time, since it was being fired at him head on, Sora was able to easily deflect the blasts with a few quick movements and spins of the χ-blade. "Did you really think that would actually hit me while I was expecting it," Evil Sora asked in disbelief.

"As much as I would've liked for it to have, I still have to admit that I wasn't really trying," Riku shrugged as he kept Way to the Dawn trained on Sora. The power hungry madman raised an eyebrow in confusion until a series of Nobody thorns suddenly hit him in the back, and he quickly spun around to see that Xion had been the one responsible for the attack. The girl then used the remaining thorns to fling herself forward like a professional gymnast, and once she was close enough, she immediately brought Two Become One down on Evil Sora with as much strength as she could muster. Riku then charged in to land a few blows of his own before letting Xion jump back in and attack as well, knocking Evil Sora off his guard just in time for Riku to land a powerful attack at dead center.

Evil Sora was soon falling onto his back due to the twos combined efforts, but he immediately scrambled back to his feet and retaliated by summoning a number of Ghost Keyblades, each of which resembling his old Kingdom Key, and then sent them all flying towards the couple with a wave of his free hand. Riku and Xion were both ready to either defend themselves or take the assault head-on, but thankfully, they did not have to, as Roxas had immediately jumped into the path and began spinning Oathkeeper and Oblivion around like crazy, deflecting every single Ghost Keyblade as he did, saving the two from the assault. Roxas then charged in and quickly assaulted Evil Sora with a barrage of fast attacks that one could only achieve by fighting with two swords like Roxas did, and as he continued to do so, even as his opponent blocked many of his blows, something was quickly becoming quite clear to Roxas.

"You're starting to slow down old man. What's the matter? You're age finally starting to catch up to you," Roxas quipped.

"The body's age does not make a difference when one has the power I wield, nor does it when one is about to become the master of time itself," Sora snarled in retort before finally releasing a wave of energy from the χ-blade. He then built up even more energy in the devastating weapon and then charged in to repeatedly swipe and slash down on Roxas. While Roxas was able to deflect most of the attacks, it took all of his concentration and focus with both of his Keyblades in order to do so, and unfortunately, it did not matter in the end, as Sora finished the barrage with a massive shockwave that was released in an x-shaped pattern. Roxas was unable to do anything against such an assault, and he was soon pinned down beneath the χ-blade, with both of his own weapons now beyond his reach after having fallen out of his grasp.

Thankfully, they were not out someone else's reach, and Sora soon found himself attacked by a pair of blows from behind on both his left and right, courtesy of Xion, who had managed to grab the fallen Oathkeeper Keyblade, and Riku, who had done the same with Oblivion. The two then used both their own Keyblades and Roxas's to continue fighting back against Sora, but since they did not normally use two Keyblades to fight like Roxas did, their attacks were rather sloppy and all over the place in comparison. Thankfully it did not matter, as they were able to accomplish what they intended to do by driving Sora away from Roxas, long enough for the blonde to recover thanks to a quick swallow of Elixir.

With his full strength now returned, Roxas immediately raced back into the action just at the same moment when Xion and Riku had given his Keyblades a powerful toss, intending to at least damage Sora a little as they sent the weapons back to their wielder. Riku's own attack had just missed Sora by mere inches, but thankfully, Xion's had been able to at least score a small hit on the older, darker version of their friend as it passed by on its trip back to Roxas's hand. As soon as Roxas had both Oblivion and Oathkeeper in hand once again, he immediately dived down with a pair of vertical slashes landing directly against Sora, and he then jumped away to stand between Riku and Xion, who were ready to strike again at a moment's notice. To their surprise though, Sora did not move to attack them, but instead ran directly towards one of the tears in time, which had begun to become much more frequent than before.

The action that Sora had taken was rather confusing to the three, but they quickly discovered why he had done so when he suddenly plunged his free hand into the tear. Instead of beginning to disintegrate, Sora's body had started to glow as his injuries slowly healed and his energy quickly returned to him. "Looks like he's already started to master a bit of time already if he can do something like that," Riku observed with a strong amount of annoyance in the undercurrent of his tone.

"How're we supposed to stop him if he can recover that quickly then," Xion asked.

"He's not recovering that quickly," Roxas pointed out. "All we need to do is force him away from the tear and his little quick fix will be cut off."

"Easy for you to say," Riku muttered as the three charged in and pulled back their Keyblades to strike. Surprisingly, they were all able to hit Sora without any trouble at all, and not only did their attacks blast him out of the tear, they also seemed to deal him an even greater amount of damage than anything they had thrown at him before.

"What just happened," Xion asked. "We've been struggling to deal this kind of damage to him for ages only to just barely do anything, yet when we decide to end his little healing session he suddenly starts feeling like we hit him with our toughest attacks."

"It must be a downside to healing like that," Riku mused. "Not only is he unable to defend himself, but any damage he's dealt while connected to a tear in time is magnified by the tear."

"Oh bravo, Riku," Sora then said in false congratulations. "But don't think that just because you've figured out one little weakness it means that you suddenly have the advantage. Even with that trick you and Yen Sid pulled earlier, I will still emerge victorious from this battle and become the master of all time itself! Do you hear me? Nothing will stop me from achieving my goals, nothing will prevent the perfect world that I will create, and there is nothing any of you fools can do to make your pathetic resistance pay off!"

"He's completely lost it," Xion muttered.

"That just means he'll be more off balance and easier to fight against," Roxas lightly smirked in response. "Let's just hope that whatever Sora and Kairi did in the past to make his sudden freak-out from earlier happen is as big a help to them as it has been to us, because I really don't want to be told that they're not having an easier time than we are."

Riku and Xion both nodded in agreement, and the three then prepared to engage the older, evil version of Sora in battle once more, not knowing that they were doing just as the three warriors from the legend Elsa had told Sora of had done against Sora the Terrible long ago as they did so.

* * *

 **(The Past)**

As the explosion that had resulted from Vanitas forcing his fusion with Ventus began to die down, Sora told Kairi to stay with Mickey as the cartoon mouse continued trying to wake up Aqua, and then used all the power of Final Form that was necessary to fly himself up to where Terra had been fighting Xehanort, hoping that he could reach the older boy in time to help him. When Sora got there, he was immediately greeted with a sight that he did not want to see. The first thing he noticed was that the plateau seemed to be enclosed inside of a brownish-gold barrier made of similarly colored chains, and the second was Terra's armor fighting against a now white-haired Terra, who was wielding Xehanort's Keyblade. Seeing this peculiar sight immediately told Sora that he was too late, and Xehanort had already taken over Terra's body, giving rise to the Keyblade Wielder's Lingering Will.

Knowing what the Lingering Will was trying to do by using this apparent barrier and fighting against the one who had taken over its original form's body, Sora immediately made a split decision to swoop in and help, so he immediately righted himself in the air and charged towards the two combatants at full speed, knowing that just moving past them would attack them while he was in his Final Form. Unfortunately, the minute Sora had reached the barrier he was propelled away by said brownish-gold shield, and then ended up spinning uncontrollably through the air before he could right himself again. Sora then raced up to the barrier again and placed one hand against it, only to find that it touched a solid wall. He then commanded his Keyblades towards the barrier, hoping to break through, only to find that none of his attacks made even the smallest scratch, much to his frustration.

After trying and failing to force his way through the barrier one last time, he figured that it would be better to go back to Mickey and Kairi to see if they had managed to rouse Aqua back into consciousness than it would to just float there and watch helplessly as Terra was forced to fight against himself until his form's power finally faded out, and he then turned himself around and quickly rocketed off to where he had left his other friends, only noticing that the pillar of light that had erupted from where Ven and Vanitas were had finally started to die down from the corner of his eye. While he knew that the sight of such a thing should be comforting, Sora could not help but get a bad feeling in his stomach that continued to grow as the light died down and as he got closer to the ground bellow.

When he finally reached Kairi and Mickey, Sora found that he was just in time to see Aqua finally waking up with a start, much to his and the other two's relief. "Gosh, I'm glad you're okay," Mickey told Aqua as she slowly sat up.

"We all are," Kairi then added as Sora floated over to where she was.

Aqua looked towards Sora and Kairi in awe for a minute, having only seen them use their Final Forms once before and yet still finding them amazing all the same, before her eyes landed on where she had previously been fighting Braig and she remembered who else was up there at the time. "Ven," Aqua cried out in worry as she sprang to her feet and began running up the small hill with Mickey, Sora, and Kairi right behind her, and not a minute later, they were all greeted by the sight of said blonde still in his armor approaching them, bringing a smile of relief to Aqua's face.

"Oh thank goodness," Aqua sighed as she happily ran over to the blonde. "Ven, you're safe!"

As Aqua drew closer to Ven, the other three quickly picked up on something that did not feel right, and that feeling was immediately enforced when they saw what the boy in question was holding in his hand. Everything afterwards happened in a sudden flash, as Ven suddenly raised the sword he was carrying and aimed it right at Aqua, much to her shock, but thankfully, a quick intervention from Mickey saved Aqua from being hit by the surprise attack as the mouse king used Star Seeker to push the blade out of the way and his own body to push Aqua back so that she was now standing right behind Sora and Kairi, who immediately sent one of their Keyblades flying towards the blonde so that Mickey could move to safety with them as well.

"What…what just happened," Aqua asked in stunned shock. "Why did Ven…"

"He didn't," Sora replied, much to Aqua's confusion.

"That's not Ven," Mickey then clarified as he held his arms out protectively in front of the three.

Everyone then watched in complete shock as Ven's armor suddenly changed into the body suit that Vanitas always wore, while his eyes seemed to intensify the dark, yellow glow they had now taken on while the blonde spoke in a mixture of his and Vanitas's voices saying, "Correct. I am not Ventus. His heart has become a part of mine now." He then raised the blade up for the four to see clear as day as he continued, "This χ-blade will open a door; one that leads to all worlds! Then, Keyblade-bearing warriors will flock here from each and every one of them, to battle for the light within Kingdom Hearts, and just like the legend says, the Keyblade War will begin!"

"Shut up," Kairi shouted. "You may have the χ-blade, but you'll never have Ven's heart, and we'll never let that happen! I've already had to deal with one war between light and darkness, and that's exactly why Sora and I came back from the future; so that we could put an end to it before it ever begins!"

"She's right," Sora agreed. "We promised our friends we wouldn't fail to stop it from happening, including Ven, and we have no intention on breaking that promise because of you or anyone else! If you want to start a war, then you'll have to destroy us first!"

"Personally, I'm sick of your nonsense and all the hell you put me and my friends through," Aqua then shouted as she summoned Stormfall and assumed her battle stance. "Give Ven his heart back now or I will force you to give it back before I end you for good!"

"You're more than welcome to try," Ventus-Vanitas offered as he assumed his own stance in response. "Too bad you'll never succeed and lose your precious Ventus in the process forever, _dear_ Aqua."

That proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back for Aqua, as the normally calm and collected blunette immediately charged in with a roar of anger to unleash a fearsome barrage of slashes and strikes on Ventus-Vanitas. Said monster just smirked at the woman in mockery as he evaded or deflected her strikes effortlessly, until he finally teleported away from Aqua's attack with an afterimage to strike her from behind, unleashing a series of icicles on her as he did. Aqua was able to recover with a quick cartwheel, but she knew that she had made a small error in letting her opponent toy with her emotions like that. Thankfully, it seemed that Kairi was about to make up for her mistake when the redhead rushed in and sent her Keyblades flying with a few swift movements of her arms. A few blows had successfully landed on their target, but unfortunately they seemed to do as much good as the ones that had missed due to Ventus-Vanitas's new found speed, providing the black suited blonde with a chance to strike back with a blast of fiery homing balls. Thankfully, Kairi was able to block the attack, but the inferno that they brought still stung a little on her skin, even through her Drive Form's protection.

Sora then took the chance to try and attack alongside Mickey, and used his own Final Form's rapid moving Keyblades to keep the possessed blonde busy long enough for Mickey to get in close and land a powerful blow on said blonde. This threw Ventus-Vanitas off for a minute, but that was all the time that Sora needed to unleash a barrage of Thunder spells on the blonde in rapid succession while moving around as fast as his Drive Form could take him. Mickey then used the smoke that had built up from the magic barrage as a cover to get in close once more and as soon he did, he used a powerful blast of light magic to send Ventus-Vanitas across the ground to the center of the battlefield they were fighting in.

Mickey then looked to Aqua, who immediately nodded in return and ran up to stand back to back with the mouse as they both charged up every bit of light energy they had and unleashed it all at once in a shower of light that covered the battlefield before erupting in a massive burst. Unfortunately, Ventus-Vanitas only deflected the blasts that came close to him with a spin of the χ-blade before he suddenly dashed across the battlefield at an incredible speed. As he continued his fast dash around the area, he lashed out at all four Keyblade Wielders with the χ-blade, dealing them all with a great deal of damage and injury, until Mickey was blown clear of the area with the final burst, after the mouse had tried to save Kairi by jumping into his path.

"Mickey," the remaining three shouted in horror, only to turn and glare at Ventus-Vanitas the next second when they heard him laughing in mockery.

"Well, now that the pest is out of the way, the real fun can begin," Ventus-Vanitas remarked. "Let's see just what three Keyblade Masters can really do, or if they can even survive against this."

Ventus-Vanitas then jumped to the middle of the battlefield once again and quickly gathered up a great deal of energy until he finally unleashed it in a massive, x-shaped burst of light that quickly hurtled towards the three. Sora, Aqua, and Kairi immediately sprinted to get clear, but the energy wave seemed to follow them until they struck each of them head-on. Sora was honestly surprised he was able to stand up again after that attack, and he suddenly found himself wondering what more they could do. He and Kairi had already failed to save Terra, and it looked like they had failed to save Ventus as well, but when he saw Aqua charge up to lock blades with Ventus-Vanitas again, he knew that if the senior master was not going to give up in trying to save their friends then he could not do any less, and he also knew that deep down inside, Ven was still fighting to stop Vanitas as well, even if it cost the blonde his own heart.

At that last thought, Sora was suddenly struck with a crazy idea on how he and Kairi could still succeed in their mission, even if it was just partially, and used the moment of their blonde opponent's distraction to swiftly move over to the woman he loved so that he could relay his plan to her without any risk of Aqua overhearing it. When he finished explaining said plan, Kairi had to admit that while it was a bit crazy and probably risky as well, it was also one that could likely prove to be just what they needed in order to save the future. She only had one question on the matter. "Are you sure it will work," Kairi asked.

"I'm sure," Sora nodded in reply. "After all, part of this plan had worked once before, so there's no reason why it won't work this time. This is our best shot at changing the future for the better once and for all, so I say we go for it. Are you with me?"

Kairi thought about everything Sora had told her involving his plan until she finally smiled and kissed him on the cheek before saying, "Always."

The two then rose up once more, letting their Final Forms lift them off the ground as soon as they were on their feet, and then charged forward to rejoin Aqua in battle against Ventus-Vanitas once more. Their charge did not take them very far though, as Ventus-Vanitas quickly released a burst of wind with a single swipe of the χ-blade, blowing both them and Aqua away and into a group of boulders. At that point, the three fell into a sitting position against the boulders they had hit, panting heavily and feeling like they barely had anything left to give just as the blonde had walked up to stand over them with a triumphant, smug look on his face.

"What's wrong? Giving up already," Ventus-Vanitas gloated. "And I thought that you guys were stronger than that."

"Get real," Sora struggled to say. "You don't seriously think you're winning do you?"

"Well from where I'm standing, it certainly looks that way," Ventus-Vanitas shrugged.

Aqua had to admire Sora for his determination, and Kairi as well when she noticed that the auburn haired girl held that same determination in her eyes, but she found her own resolve weakening a bit as she could barely keep her gaze up on their opponent. Eventually, Aqua found herself pulling out her Wayfinder and whispering, "Terra, Ven, lend me strength."

A minute later, the blue, star-shaped charm seemed to flash with light, Stormfall immediately began to glow brightly in her hand, and somehow, Aqua could just tell that it was her friends feeding her the very strength she needed to end the battle at last. Aqua then glanced to Sora and Kairi, and upon receiving a nod of encouragement in response from them both, she immediately steeled herself for what she was about to do and charged in once more. "You're just wasting your energy," Ventus-Vanitas told Aqua when he saw her coming at him, and soon after, he was immediately clashing the χ-blade against the glowing Stormfall.

The minute the two blades clanged against one and other, a powerful shockwave burst forth across the Keyblade Graveyard, signifying just how much power was behind both the strikes and the Keyblades that were being used in said clash. Ventus-Vanitas only smirked, thinking that he held a strong advantage over the young Keyblade Master, but Aqua did not let her resolve waver for a second and bravely held her ground as she continued to push back against her opponent's weapon. A minute later, the χ-blade suddenly cracked, much to Ventus-Vanitas's shock, and with one last burst of strength, Aqua finally pushed the blonde back, sending him hurtling to the ground, and the χ-blade spinning into the air where it then stopped before exploding in a burst of light.

Aqua quickly found herself dismissing her Keyblade so she could use both arms to shield herself from the bursts of energy that had begun surging forth from the χ-blade in rapid succession, and even Sora and Kairi had to push their Final Forms' power to their very limits just to keep themselves from being blown away by the sheer force of the light streams that were flying out from the χ-blade. "What's happening," Kairi shouted over the roar of the explosions that were raging out from the powerful weapon.

"Just what I thought was happening," Sora replied. "Ven was fighting inside the whole time, and he was able to give Aqua just the power and help that she needed to finish this by defeating Vanitas from within, but in doing so, the χ-blade ended up shattered, and now the thing's gone completely crazy! If we don't get away soon the thing will blow us all apart!"

"Wait, what about Aqua and Ven? We can't just leave them," Kairi shouted.

Before anyone could say anything more on the matter, Sora and Kairi both heard Aqua shout out Ven's name, and they immediately looked to see Ventus had reverted back to his old self just before the χ-blade finally shattered, causing the explosions and light bursts to intensify in their dispersal rate. The last thing either of the two saw was a faint glimpse of Aqua chasing after Ven's unconscious form as it was carried into the air before hearing Aqua suddenly cry out in fear, and then everything vanished in a blaze of light.

* * *

 **(The Future)**

Riku, Roxas, and Xion were panting heavily, as they had somehow managed to finally drive Sora into a corner after a continuous, combined effort, but at the same time, they felt that they had exhausted their entire energies in order to do so while Sora himself still seemed to have just enough left in him to keep himself standing up straight with the χ-blade held up at the ready, but just barely. Roxas did not know how much longer they could last in this fight, but he did know that it would not be nearly as long as the evil monster in front of them could, and that was enough to tell them they were in a great deal of trouble. At least, it seemed that way, until Evil Sora suddenly jolted in pain once again, and the arm he was holding the χ-blade in suddenly began to shake like it was struggling against something.

"What…what's happening," Sora demanded as he quickly grasped his other hand on the trembling χ-blade, only for it to continue to pull his arms up towards the sky until it finally broke free of his grasp. A minute later, the legendary weapon that was said to be the counterpart of Kingdom Hearts emitted a bright glow and then shattered completely, releasing the great amount of light and darkness within that had once been used to forge it, much to everyone's shock and Sora's horror. "No…it can't…what happened to the χ-blade," Sora stuttered in furious disbelief.

No one answered his question, but Riku did give a different kind of answer. "This is our chance to finish it," Riku shouted to his two comrades, and both Roxas and Xion immediately nodded in agreement as they charged forth once more, landing one last, powerful strike against Sora as soon as they were in range, and finally bringing him to his knees in defeat.

"No," Sora moaned in continued protest. "I can't…I can't fail…Not now…Not when I'm…so close to…saving everything…"

"Are you still going on about that," Roxas asked in annoyance, but before he could continue, Riku had stomped up to the fallen, dark warrior and lifted him up by the back of his shirt so that he could turn the man to face the battle and the chaos around him.

"Look at what you've done, Sora," Riku growled. "LOOK AT THIS! Does any of this look like 'saving' something to you?! You're not saving anyone; you're just forcing them all to suffer for your own selfishness!"

Sora tried to argue with Riku, but when his eyes started to roam over the battlefield that was still raging with fights between the various warriors of light and darkness, combined with the sight of time and reality tearing itself apart at the seams and sometimes even swallowing some of those same warriors into the tears, all arguments died in his throat as a look of sheer horror and shame reached his eyes. "Dear God," Sora finally choked out as tears began to fill his eyes, prompting Riku to release his hold on the spiky haired man. "What…what have I done? I just…all I wanted was to create an existence where none of us had suffered, where we could all be happy, and where she would never have…Why didn't I realize sooner? All I've done…I've only become the very monster that I had sworn to keep from happening. I've broken my promise to her…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I'm sorry Kairi. I failed you…again."

At that point, Sora just fell to all fours as he openly sobbed, his eyes raining tears like he intended to cry out every last drop of water in his body, and the sight of the one who they had to fight as an enemy yet also knew as a friend honestly made Roxas, Xion, and Riku feel truly sorry for him. They all knew that he had started with good intentions and that if anyone deserved some form of happiness after all that they had been through, it was most definitely Sora, but in the end, they found out just what happened when Sora was finally pushed too far, and the result was now kneeling before them on his hands and knees, sobbing his eyes out in terror, sadness, grief, and pure anguish after finally seeing just how terrible his deeds had been. It was enough to drive Xion to wrap her arms around Riku in sadness, looking for comfort that Riku was happy to give, while even Riku and Roxas found their eyes watering a little at what had happened to this version of their friend.

A minute later, they all felt their eyes widen in shock when they saw what looked like Kairi's spirit suddenly appear in front of Sora with a sad smile, prompting him to lift his head up so that he could see her face. They do not know how it was possible, but they did know that they were able to hear Kairi's voice softly whispering, "I forgive you Sora, and I'm sorry too for causing you so much pain for all these years."

"No Kairi," Sora immediately denied, showing that he had heard her too. "You could never cause me any pain. I love you too much to ever be hurt by you."

"I know you do, Sora," Kairi whispered once again as she began to fade out after giving him a small hug. "That's why I'll always be waiting for you to come back to me. I'll see you soon, okay?"

Sora just nodded in response as his tears started to begin anew when Kairi finally disappeared from sight, but he then steeled himself before slowly rising to his feet and moving forward just as slowly towards one of the recently opened tears. When he finally reached the tear, Sora glanced back at the three with one last, sad look and said, "I'm sorry for everything I did to you guys, to the worlds, and for all the rest of the trouble I ever caused you all."

Riku, Roxas, and Xion could hardly believe what happened next, as the world seemed to slow down around them. As soon as Sora had turned around again, he began to lean forward until he fell right into the tear, instantly being swallowed up and lost to the abyss between time and space for all eternity, much to their horror. At that point, the three realized that there was nothing they could have done for him in the end, and that Sora honestly felt it was better this way for everyone, and that it was the only way he could atone for what he had done.

They honestly thought that it was finally over, but a quick look around at the battles still raging while time and space continued falling apart immediately told them otherwise. "What's going on," Xion asked. "I thought it was over. Why hasn't anything changed?"

Before either of the two boys could answer, a sudden jolt of what appeared to be lightning suddenly lit up the sky and struck the tower, much to their horror, especially when they remembered who was still inside. "Naminé," Roxas whispered before he charged towards the tower and through the door with Riku and Xion both hot on his heels.

They were all extremely glad to find that their friends were all still okay, albeit a bit shaken up after the sudden lightning strike on the tower, but it still prompted Roxas to ask, "What's happening? I thought it was over, why hasn't anything happened?"

"Sora and Kairi are still somewhere in the past," Naminé shouted over the explosions that were now so loud that it was even difficult to hear inside the tower.

"What do you mean 'somewhere' in the past," Riku asked. "Shouldn't you know where they are? I thought that they would've finished their battle in that time by now and things would've been changed."

"I don't know what happened," Naminé admitted. "They did finish the battle, but a minute later, there was some sort of explosion and I lost all trace of them. I have no idea where they are."

"Are they…do you think that they're," Xion hesitantly asked, not wanting to finish asking the question any more than she wanted to hear the answer that none of them wanted to hear.

"No, they're not dead," Naminé immediately dismissed. "If they were then the spell would've stopped working on them on its own. I just don't know where they are or what's happening."

Before anything more could be said, another lightning burst that was most definitely coming from the tears in time and space struck the tower, causing it to shake greatly under its force, and Axel had then summoned his Chakrams before diving in front of Mickey and Yen Sid. A minute after, the redheaded Nobody was also struck by the blast, and then began to disappear into a bizarre smoke, much to everyone's horror. When he heard Xion and Roxas crying out his name in horror, Axel quickly turned to the two and gave his best friends his usual smile while tapping a finger against his head like he always did whenever he said his catchphrase before he finally disappeared completely.

"No," Xion whispered, and it was barely even a second later that she was sobbing into Riku's chest, the silver haired boy unable to do anything more than rub her back soothingly, while Roxas fell to his knees in equal sadness in anguish at the sight of his best friend suddenly perishing before his eyes.

"Master Yen Sid, those storms are getting worse by the minute! What do we do now," Mickey immediately asked as he summoned both Star Seeker and Kingdom Key D to his hands so that he would be ready to stop another burst of lightning like the last one.

Sadly, Yen Sid could only give them an answer that they rarely ever heard from the old sorcerer. "I truly do not know."

Everyone ended up bowing their heads in sorrow for a minute, thinking that this was truly the end for them all, but they all then steeled themselves once again, and decided that if this was going to be where they met their ends, then they would not do so without a fight. With their decision made, they all immediately summoned their weapons and courage so that they could continue to protect their friends in the past or charge back out to rejoin the forces fighting outside, their eyes burning with determination to never give up no matter what. A few moments later though, it did not matter, as they were soon engulfed in a sudden flash of light, and a minute later, everything was quiet and calm, for there was nothing there at all.

* * *

 **(The Past)**

She was not entirely sure what had happened or even how long she had been asleep, but it did not take long for Aqua to register that she was most certainly not where she had been before when she finally awoke, and she immediately began to glance around for any sort of clue as to where she currently was. As she sat up, she quickly noticed some familiar, star and moon shaped windows above her, along with a few book cases, and just as she was starting to get an idea of where she was, a familiar voice spoke up, confirming her beliefs on where she was.

"Aqua, you lost consciousness," Yen Sid informed the young master as she turned to face him, having finally realized that she was in the retired Keyblade Master's tower. "Fortunately, Mickey found you and Ventus drifting in the Lanes Between, and brought you back to me to receive proper care."

When she heard the old master mention Ventus, Aqua immediately turned to her left and she was immediately greeted with the sight of said blonde, sitting against the wall with his eyes closed as though he were sleeping while Mickey stood next to him. Aqua then looked to Yen Sid once again, but the master had already anticipated her question and informed her, "I am sorry, but there was no sign of Terra."

"I see," Aqua sadly sighed. She then turned her attention back to Ven, and crawled over to him so that she could place a hand on his shoulder and give him a gentle shake as she called out, "Ven…Ventus!"

Sadly, the blonde did not even stir a little in response, immediately leading Aqua to fear the worst for her friend until Yen Sid said, "The boy's heart is sleeping."

"When will he wake," Aqua immediately asked, hoping that the answer was soon.

"I could not say," Yen Sid sadly replied, much to Aqua's dismay. "It is almost as though his heart has left. Should it return, he may very well wake, but should it not, then he may sleep like this for all eternity."

"No," Aqua whispered, her eyes already forming tears. As her tears began to slowly fall, only one thought ran through Aqua's mind. It was not fair; it was just not fair. Aqua and her friends had been through so much together; they had played together, trained together, fought together, and even suffered through so many difficult times together both in growing up and in this journey, so why did things have to end this way? Why was it that even after all they had been through, the three of them still had to suffer so greatly?

These thought continued to run through Aqua's mind as she grasped Ven in a tight hug, silently pleading with him to come back, until she finally dried her eyes and looked to the old master and stated, "I'll keep him safe until he wakes. Forever if I have to."

"I will tell you what your friend needs right now," Yen Sid then informed the former pupil of Eraqus. "It is not your protection. He needs you to believe. You see, Ventus's heart hangs in the balance; it sleeps in the place between light and darkness. From all I can perceive, that means he will be looking for a friend, one who believes in him, to show him the way home. Just as long as you love him then Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes. He can follow that love back to where he belongs; the realm of light."

The old master then exchanged a smile with both Aqua and his former apprentice before Mickey looked to his friend and said, "Don't you worry, Aqua. I believe in Ven, too. Gosh, he's been as good a friend to me as anybody, and if both you and me believe in him with all our hearts then he'll have two lights to follow instead of one."

"Five lights," Aqua corrected with a laugh, much to Mickey's confusion. "Terra, Sora, and Kairi too."

"But…Terra's gone. Maybe for good," Mickey then reminded Aqua. He then hesitated for a minute before he softly added, "And Sora and Kairi…"

The king of Disney Town had honestly hoped that he had said that last part soft enough for Aqua to have not heard, but she did, and it was at that point that she realized that the two were not in the room with them and she quickly became worried. "Where are they anyway," Aqua then asked. When neither Mickey or Yen Sid replied, Aqua's worry grew as she asked again, "Where's Sora and Kairi?"

Mickey then sighed, feeling that it was no use to hide anything from Aqua now that she had heard what he had said, and he then pulled something out of his pocket as he said, "We're not sure where they are. I had gone back to look for them after bringing you and Ven here, but all I found were these."

Aqua then looked to the objects that Mickey was holding, and quickly gasped in recognition, for Mickey was holding a pair of Wayfinders that had the same crown symbol that was on Sora's necklace and were colored dark red and bright pink; the very same Wayfinders that she had made and given to Sora and Kairi before their battle in the Keyblade Graveyard had begun. Aqua then slowly reached out to take the two Wayfinders from Mickey's hand, almost as if she were hoping the objects were not real, and as soon as she touched the soft, colored glass of the star-shaped charms before letting them fall into her hands, she immediately realized that they were both very real indeed. Mickey then became worried that Aqua would start crying again in the belief that their two friends from the future had perished, but to his surprise, the young woman actually let a soft, yet still sad smile reach her face.

"They figured that they wouldn't be able to keep these," Aqua then revealed as she enclosed the charms in her hands. "I guess this means that their mission is over and they've gone back to their time, so I'll just have to keep the promise I made to them and hold onto their charms until we meet again in the future. I just hope that the future those two wake up to is a better one than the one they had left. As for Terra, I think I know how to find him."

With that said, Aqua pocketed the two charms that she had received from Mickey, stood up from where she had been sitting, and lifted the sleeping Ventus onto her back, biding both Mickey and Yen Sid farewell for now before she walked out the door, saying that she was going to bring Ven to a place where he would be able to sleep in peace. As soon as Aqua was out the door and the two were both certain that she was no longer able to hear them, Mickey looked to his master and asked, "I hope I don't regret doing what I just did."

"You did the right thing, Mickey," Yen Sid assured his apprentice. "After all, you never were one to go back on a promise that you made to a friend."

* * *

When Aqua arrived at the place where Ventus's sleeping form had indicated that he wanted to go, she was shocked to see that they were now back at the ruins of the Land of Departure, but at the same time, she was not all that surprised that the one she loved wanted to return to the place he and his friends had long since known as their home. After glancing around at the darkened ruins of her home once more, Aqua's eyes soon came to rest on the Keyblade lying on the ground which had once belonged to her master, the Master's Defender Keyblade. As she lifted the Keyblade off the ground, gazing at it with a sad look when she did, Aqua could not help but remember the promise she made to Eraqus before she left on the journey she shared with her friends, along with the promise she made to her master regarding what she would do in the event their world was threatened at a point after he had perished, and she then immediately walked into the castle with her master's Keyblade held tightly in her hand.

What Aqua did not know, was that the entire time since she had arrived on her nearly destroyed home, was that she was actually being watched by a pair of figures hiding in the shadows, one of which had to let out a sad sigh when they saw her and Ventus arrive and when she had finally examined her master's fallen Keyblade. These same two figures then continued to watch the castle from the outside, being careful to stay close to it while they did, and soon enough, they were greeted with a bright light suddenly illuminating the entire world until said world changed shape into a massive, brownish-gold, strangely shaped castle. A few minutes after this transformation was complete, they saw Aqua leave the newly formed castle and then look back to gaze at it for a minute before she finally turned towards the path before her and walked off to wherever it lead, only catching the faintest trace of her calling out to Terra as she departed while they did.

When Aqua was finally out of sight, the two stepped out of the shadows to reveal Sora and Kairi, both now in their normal attire, battered, and a little bruised, but still very much alive, well, and still in the time that they had traveled back to. The two looked down the path that Aqua had disappeared into for a few seconds before they brought their attention back to the massive castle that they had once visited before in the future, and which they found was just as they remembered it from the last visit, without the Organization XIII members inhabiting it. "So in the end, this place still came to be what we first knew it as, and it was Aqua who made it this way all so she could protect Ven," Sora noted aloud as he gazed at the familiar castle. "Castle Oblivion."

Kairi nodded in response to Sora's observation and then quickly fell in step behind him as he began to walk towards the great, strangely shaped building. When they entered the building and were greeted by the stark, white entrance hall within, Kairi had to roll her eyes when Sora lightly complained, "You'd think that Aqua would've given this place a little more color inside, but no, she had to go and make every single room in this place the color white. I swear, I consider myself lucky I was able to keep track of what floor we were on the last time I was here given how everything in this place looks so much the same. I mean, really, couldn't she have given this place a little more variety in more than a few rooms?"

"Sora is this really the best time to be asking such questions," Kairi finally asked when the boy she loved had finished his small rant. "Try to keep in mind, the place we're looking for is impossible to find, probably unless you're with Aqua or you're Aqua yourself. Even Xemnas and Organization XIII were never able to find it. How do you think we're supposed to?"

"That's easy. We're going to follow the heart," Sora replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world before he started to move forward again. Kairi was only able to shake her head a little before she had to catch up to Sora, not entirely understanding what he meant by that, and elected to just follow Sora as they moved through the mysterious palace that Aqua had created in order to protect Ven.

As the two walked through Castle Oblivion, they were happy to discover that they did not ever lose a single memory the further in they went, just as Naminé had told them, proving once and for all that all of the memory related problems that Sora encountered on that trip really was due to Naminé's powers. Sora had to let out a sigh of relief when he realized this, much to Kairi's amusement, but he still continued to press on, seemingly knowing where he was going until they finally reached a strange door that was unlike any of the others in the mysterious castle. Kairi was about to ask why they had never heard of anyone finding this doorway before when she immediately stopped short at the sight of a glow coming from Sora's hand before forming a familiar shape in it.

"Sora, why'd you summon your Keyblade," Kairi asked, while glancing around them in worry thinking that he was preparing himself for a fight after sensing some sort of unseen danger, indicating that she was now preparing for such a situation as well.

"I didn't, and this isn't _my_ Keyblade," Sora replied with a smirk as he held up the blade that was now in his hand. When Kairi stopped glancing around for any sign of a threat, she took a moment to get a good look at the Keyblade in Sora's hands, and immediately gasped when she recognized it as Wayward Wind, the Keyblade that Ventus wielded.

Sora then stepped back a little and spun the Keyblade around his hand like he often did before aiming it directly at the door, and the minute he did, the tip lit up with a soft glow, and shot out a beam of light towards the door, which gave a loud click that resembled that of something being unlocked before opening on its own in response. The two then walked into the room to find a large, white throne in the center of a white colored room with what appeared to be glowing chains and the symbol that Terra, Aqua, and Ven all wore decorating the walls. After taking in their new surroundings, they then laid eyes on what, or rather _who_ , they had come there looking for, and smiled in relief seeing Ventus in his coma-like state upon the throne in the center of the room.

Sora then walked towards the blonde who had helped make it possible for him to wield a Keyblade, and as soon as he stood in front of Ven, Sora lifted Wayward Wind up so that it was pointed at his chest, and ran the Keyblade through himself, instantly causing Ven's Keyblade to disappear a minute later. Kairi was initially worried for her friend, seeing as the last time he had done something like this it had caused him to be transformed into a Heartless, but her worries quickly disappeared when Sora smiled to her and showed her an orb of light in his hand as he said, "Don't worry, Kairi. I'm alright. It worked just like I thought it would."

"So then…that's," Kairi started to ask.

Sora nodded, still smiling brightly as he said, "This is Ventus's heart, which had been resting inside of me for all these years."

Kairi then smiled at this just as brightly as Sora was, knowing that all their final efforts were paying off. Everything from giving their Wayfinders to Mickey and asking him to tell Aqua that they had disappeared, knowing she would think they had returned to their time as a result, to waiting outside until Aqua returned to transform the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion was all for this one moment that they were absolutely certain would help change things for an even better future than the one from before this whole adventure started. Kairi continued to gaze at the orb of light that was their friend's heart until she suddenly felt her legs becoming numb, and she looked down to see that she was starting to fade out from existence, which could only mean one thing that they both knew too well.

"Sora, the spell's wearing off," Kairi whispered. "It's almost time for us to go back."

"Okay, I'll make this quick then," Sora nodded as he started to fade away too, and he then turned back to face Ventus once again. Sora walked up to the blonde and then smiled a bit as he then said, "I don't know if you can hear me or not, Ven, but I just want you to know that I owe you a lot. Not just you though, but also Aqua and Terra as well. I am who I am because of you guys and the same holds true for all my friends who gained a Keyblade as well, especially Kairi. It's thanks to you that I was able to become worthy to wield a Keyblade and then meet so many amazing people who became my friends. Whether you meant for it to happen or not doesn't matter, I just know that the day your heart came to rest inside of me so long ago is definitely a day that I will never forget or ever change for all the worlds. So I guess all I can really say is this: Thank you Ven…for everything. I hope we see you soon, sometime in the future. We may not remember you when you first meet us, but I know that you'll remember us, and that you'll be glad when we finally do remember you. We'll see you then."

Sora then released Ven's heart and let it flow into the sleeping boy's body, disappearing into the blonde as soon as it touched his chest. Sora and Kairi then continued to slowly fade away for a few minutes, not seeing any change in their friend, until Ven's eyes finally, slowly opened, gazing at their vanishing forms for a minute once they did. The last thing that Sora and Kairi saw before they finally vanished from this time was Ventus giving them both a large smile as he finally became fully awake while he mouthed, "Thank you Sora and Kairi. See you soon, sometime in the future."

* * *

 ** _AN: Not really expecting some of that, now were you? Well I suppose now you think that the adventures over, everything's okay now, and that's the end right? WRONG! Did you really think I was going to end things here and just leave what happened in the future to your imaginations? There's still one chapter left in this story, an epilogue to the tale. That scene after the end credits of the game we all know Kingdom Hearts always seems to have, and given what will be happening, don't be surprised by how short this little preview is. Speaking of which, Onto the Preview!..._**

 ** _The final chapter is here at last, as the results of Sora and Kairi's efforts are revealed. Will things be what they once were before time was ever tampered with, will they be different, or will they all remain as they once were? Find out in the final chapter._**

 ** _Hey, I did say that it was short. What'd you expect that to mean, an entire paragraph? Anyways, until then, which should not be too long away..._**

 ** _Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


	19. There's A New Day

_**AN: And now we come to final page in this grand tale, the final story to be told in this journey of hardship, bonds, love, friendship, and loyalty; and the last chapter in my first completed story that isn't part of the Gundam SEED Prime Series. Not that I have a problem with that series, I'm just really glad I finished one of my stories that wasn't part of that series, ya know? And besides...**_

 _ **Everyone but AN: START THE CHAPTER ALREADY!**_

 _ **AN: Alright, alright. Sheesh! Show people. Anyways, here's the disclaimer, so enjoy...**_

 _ **I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

 **Epilogue**

The first thing Sora had picked up on when his sense of consciousness had begun to return was that he was lying on something soft and comforting, and that he was feeling quite drowsy like one often felt on a Monday morning when they do not want to get up even though they know they have to. It actually described Sora's thought process perfectly at the time, but somehow he knew that he had to get up for some reason, and it was only a minute after he started to open his eyes that he finally remembered what that reason was. He and Kairi had been fading out after they found Ventus in Castle Oblivion and he had returned the blonde's heart to him, and as soon as he realized what that meant he immediately sprang up to his feet so that he could find out what had happened afterwards.

The sight that greeted his eyes was that of a room that was clearly in the Mysterious Tower, but upon glancing out of the room, Sora found his eyes widening a bit when he saw that the sky was filled to the brim with brilliantly shinning stars, unlike the nearly starless sky he had grown so used to over the years since he and his friends were swept into the war between light and darkness. Thinking of his friends immediately brought his thoughts to Kairi, his worry for her well-being instantly rising when he saw that she was not in the room with him, and he quickly grabbed his hoodie, only mildly noting how it was black with red lining instead of black and white as he did, and raced to the door, accidentally bumping into someone mere seconds after he was out the door.

"Whoa Sora, are you sure you should be up right now," a familiar voice asked, and when Sora looked up, he was instantly greeted by a person who looked a little too much like a familiar Nobody for his tastes.

"Axel," Sora gasped in shock as he jumped back a little. "What're you…"

"Seriously? Are we still doing this," "Axel" asked as he shook his head in slight irritation. "I've told you, my name's Lea. Get it memorized already. I mean I don't look that much like my Nobody, do I?"

Upon closer inspection, Sora was able to see that the redhead was in fact telling the truth, as he could see some of the small differences that set Lea apart from Axel. The main reason Sora had assumed the redhead was actually his Nobody was due to the fact that he was wearing his old Organization XIII coat at the moment, but the fact he had gotten the two mixed up in the first place was enough to make Sora feel more than a little sheepish as he quickly apologized saying, "Sorry. Guess I'm still waking up a bit."

"I'll say," Lea chuckled. "Considering how you and Kairi had passed out during your last sparring practice session with the rest of us all of a sudden like that though, I'd be a little worried if you weren't a bit confused. Anyway, you should probably…Hey, wait up a second!"

Sora paid the redhead no mind, as the instant he heard that something happened to Kairi, he was racing off like lightning, though to where he was not entirely sure, but he just kept going, allowing his instincts to lead him until he eventually skidded to a halt just a short distance away from a familiar blonde in a black shirt, grey pants, white jacket with a checkered pattern, and a familiar x-shaped crest. Said blonde was leaning against the wall next to an open doorway as though he were waiting for something rather impatiently until he looked up and saw Sora slowly approaching and smiled at the brunette in greeting. "Hey Sora, how're you feeling," the blonde then asked after Sora had finally reached him.

"A little confused to be honest, Roxas," Sora admitted. He then gave the blonde a quick once over and asked, "You are Roxas right?"

"Not unless Riku suddenly became the same height as us, dyed his hair, and suddenly realized that my sense of style is better than his," Roxas joked with a grin, getting a small laugh from Sora in response. The blonde then looked over Sora for a minute before he then added, "Speaking of style, glad to see you're sporting the new look. It really suits you a lot more now than that black, red, and white outfit you used to wear, but I can't help but think that the chain on your necklace looks like it might start choking you considering how short it looks now."

It was at this point that Sora finally took a good look at his outfit and saw that it was indeed much different than what he was used to. The entire outfit was now mostly black with some patches of dark grey in a few areas, with some red lining around the area of his knees on his pants and hoodie, and barely that much white at all. The crown necklace was also on a shorter chain, but not to the point where it was nearly choking him like Roxas had implied it was, and his gloves now stopped just a little ways short of his elbows, and were colored two different shades of dark grey with red lining on the ends and yellow straps around the wrist areas. All-in-all, it seemed like a much more matured version of his old outfit, and he was honestly surprised he had not noticed sooner. The only thing that had not really changed that much about his attire was his shoes, which were still mostly black with some yellow, but now seemed to be a bit bigger than they used to be.

Sora eventually stopped admiring his new look as unnoticeably as he could when he remembered why he had rushed over and quickly looked to Roxas and asked, "Never mind that now. Is Kairi okay?"

"Calm down, bro," Roxas told Sora placating. "She's just sleeping now. Naminé and Xion have been looking after her since you two passed out during practice. You know, you two owe me and Riku big time for that since we were certain we'd miss out on our dates with them because of that, so…"

Sora did not pay any further mind to what Roxas was saying as he quickly dashed into the room, offering a quick apology to both Naminé and Xion as he passed them, and kneeled down next to Kairi's sleeping form. After he gave her a couple of shakes, Sora was happy to see that Kairi began to stir before finally opening her eyes and smiling at Sora lovingly. The next thing that any of the others knew, the two were immediately locked together in a kiss, making them all feel a bit awkward until Naminé said, "Well I guess we'll just be going now, Roxas. See you later Sora, Kairi, Xion."

Sora and Kairi then broke apart from their embrace, barely registering Xion telling the blonde couple to not leave her there with them and subsequently being ignored while they tapped into what they could of the D-Link's power to communicate with each other, instantly telling one and other that they both remembered everything that had happened to them in their travels through time. The two then held each other tightly in a loving embrace before their lips met again just as passionately for a few minutes, until someone interrupted with a very rude cough.

"Well since you two seemed to be doing better, you should probably let Master Yen Sid know so that I can finally take Xion out," the person who had coughed told them, and the two immediately broke apart to spin around to the source of the voice, immediately finding that it belonged to exactly who they thought it did.

"Riku," Sora whispered in shock as he stood up and walked over to his friend, pinching and pulling at the older boy's face as soon as he was close enough just to make sure he was real.

"Hey, cut that out! What's with you," Riku exclaimed as he shoved Sora off.

"Please tell me that I'm not dreaming and it's really you," Sora told his best friend since childhood.

"I'd hope so," Riku replied while waving a hand through his hair. "Otherwise someone has some explaining to do, either that or you've both gone crazy in thinking that I'm someone else. You know, I should've known that you two had pulled that little stunt to have a little intimate time together when you should've been practicing. I guess some things really don't ever change; you two as still just as lazy as Kairi accuses you of being, Sora."

Sora and Kairi both brightened up a great deal at hearing Riku's voice, and it was at this point that Sora began to take in Riku's appearance as well. Riku's silver hair still reached down to his shoulders just as Sora remembered it did, but that seemed to be the only thing about Riku that was still the same. Riku's outfit now consisted of a zipped-up, white and yellow, sleeveless vest with a black collar, black wrist bands, faded, blue jeans, and silver sneakers, but all the same, it still seemed like the same old Riku to Sora, and that was more than enough for him, a fact that Kairi happily agreed on.

"Seriously, it's great to see you Riku," Sora said as he clapped his best friend on the shoulder as best he could, seeing as the older boy was still reasonably taller than him.

"Yeah…sure," Riku said, quickly feeling more than a bit put-off by that statement. "Are you sure you're feeling okay Sora?"

"We're fine," Kairi said as she stood up, not missing a beat on the fact that she and Sora were clearly the only ones they had seen so far who remembered what had happened before the sudden time shift. "And since we're fine, don't you need to take us to see Master Yen Sid?"

"She's right Riku," Xion then stepped in. "Come on, hurry up! The sooner we do that, the sooner we can go out."

Riku just rolled his eyes at the brunette playfully before waving for Sora and Kairi to follow him, which the two were more than happy to do. A few minutes later, the two felt that they had more than adjusted to the fact that it seemed like everything had changed for the better, as there was no sign anywhere in the tower of anyone fighting in the terrible war that they had gone back to prevent from happening, unlike in that other future where they were always finding some indication of someone calling out to the tower in some way to report on their status or call for help, and they truly felt that they had faced all the surprises that they could expect once they had reached Yen Sid's office and were left there by Riku and Xion a minute later, with Mickey as the only other occupant in the room.

"It is good to see that you are both feeling better now," Yen Sid commented. "But is there any particular reason you were both suddenly overcome with a sudden fatigue?"

"Well…we're not quite sure you would believe us even if we told you, Master Yen Sid," Sora hesitantly replied, effectively admitting that he had not come up with a way to break the news that he and Kairi had just come back from the past to him.

"Whoa, is that hesitation I hear in your voice, Sora? I could've sworn that my apprentice was more confident than that," a new, familiar voice that sounded very similar to Roxas's then called out from behind them, making both Sora and Kairi freeze in shock before they slowly turned around towards the source. When they did, they were immediately greeted by a young man who was now a bit taller than they remembered him being, but they were still able to recognize his blonde hairstyle that was so similar to Roxas's, the dull green shoulder armor, and silver badge in the center of two, crisscrossing black straps anywhere.

"Ven," Sora gasped in silent disbelief.

Said blonde raised in eyebrow in confusion at Sora before he stated, "What's the matter, Sora? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe he just had one crazy nightmare while he was sleeping," another familiar voice reasoned, and that voice was soon given a face, as another person that Sora and Kairi recognized appeared behind Ven. Unlike the blonde, this person had not changed a bit, but it was clear that Ventus's growth spurt had certainly been great, as he was now noticeably a bit taller than the blue haired woman now standing next to him.

"Aqua…you're here too," Kairi whispered happily.

Aqua then gained her own curious look as she asked, "Well why wouldn't I be, especially after you guys helped save me from the Realm of Darkness?"

"So that's where you disappeared to after you transformed the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion," Sora then softly commented.

"Gosh, I hope you guys are alright," Mickey then said as he walked over to the four friends. "I mean, you two look like you're being reunited with old friends that you haven't seen in years."

"In a way, we kind of have," Sora then revealed. His statement had caused Yen Sid, Mickey, and both of the senior Keybearers to freeze in astonishment for a minute before they all showed signs of realization dawning on them as Sora continued, "It may have only been a moment to us, but for you guys, it definitely has been years since we last saw you. Especially in the case of you two, Aqua and Ven. After all, the last time we saw you guys, Ven was in a very deep sleep and Aqua had to transform the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion, but from your perspective, you had last seen us in the Keyblade Graveyard when we fought against Xemnas, Ansem, Vanitas, and Xehanort along with Terra."

"I don't believe it," Ven whispered in astonishment as a brilliant smile slowly formed on his face.

"It's…it's really you guys," Aqua then added, her eyes already starting to shed tears of joy at the same realization that the others had already gained.

"It would seem that you were able to succeed in your mission after all," Yen Sid also softly stated with a small smile.

"Welcome back old pals," Mickey then finally told to the two in a soft voice that was just barely above that of a whisper.

"It's good to be back," Sora said. "But what happened after we left? Namely to Terra and Xehanort? Kairi and I both know that defeating Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas would've served as a catalyst for brining Xehanort himself back to life, so what happened when he did?"

"We don't really know," Ven admitted with a shake of his head. "Master Yen Sid and Mickey both searched that area for any sign of Xehanort being reborn from his Heartless and Nobody's destruction for some time without ever finding a trace. At this point, we all think that if it did happen, then it must have been for a split second during that time when the χ-blade was being destroyed and he was caught in the blast, but we can never be sure. That's part of the reason why all of us Keyblade Wielders and our strongest friends and allies are here training together, so that we can be ready just in case he does return due to that reason."

"Speaking of all of us being here together," Kairi then remembered as she looked to Mickey. "Thanks for helping to make sure that happened."

Mickey smiled in response as he said, "Awe shucks. I didn't really have to do much, but I was happy to do whatever I could to help with that anyways. After all, I did have a promise to keep to some very good friends."

"Speaking of good friends, I believe you'll find something that belonged to you two has already found their ways back to you guys," Aqua then said as she proudly indicated that they should check their pockets for something.

Sora and Kairi immediately did as Aqua indicated they should, and the moment their hands brushed a familiar, metallic object, they quickly pulled said objects out and then smiled upon finding that they were holding the Wayfinders that Aqua had made for them. The couple then smiled at the mouse king for what he said that, truly touched by the fact that he remembered the promise he had made to them all those years ago, and at Aqua and Ven, happy that they were able to return the star-shaped charms that the blue haired woman had made for them so long ago back to them just as they said they would. At the very moment, the two then shared a small look between them before Sora suddenly swept Kairi off her feet and planted his lips on hers once more in a sudden victory kiss, feeling that even if there would still be danger to face, all was right in the worlds in this future.

* * *

 **(Somewhere in the Not-So-Distant Past)**

In truth, the defeat of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas did in fact restore the Xehanort of that timeline to his original being, but since he had only begun to reform at a moment when the χ-blade was being destroyed, the resulting energies and explosion had catapulted him into the Realm of Darkness, rendering his powers far weaker than they had ever been before, and reducing him to a hunched over, crippled old man who wore himself out just by attempting to summon his Keyblade. With no way to escape the dark realm, Xehanort was forced to slowly limp through the endless expanse of the Realm of Darkness with a strong branch he had managed to procure from one of the few trees in this realm, in a desperate attempt to regain his powers and prolong his existence for just another moment if he could. His reason for this search actually all tied back to why he had traveled to the past in the way he did, hoping to aid his past self in the first place.

The mere thought of his humiliation and those responsible for it truly infuriated him to no end, igniting a burning anger that served as the only thing to keep him going even when his now weakened body protested against this. Defeated time and time again by the same boy and his wretched friends, a boy who was not even meant to have had the Keyblade in the first place, and yet had somehow managed to prove to the mystical weapon that he had been worthy all along. This simple fact was the main driving force that prompted Xehanort to travel back the days when his plans had first became unveiled, the days of Eraqus's pupils, their journeys, and their battles against him, all so that he could obtain a future that he felt was more suitable to him, but it seemed that even time itself could not prevent that same irritating, insufferable brat from chasing after him and thwarting his plans. Not only that, but this time he had to suffer defeat at the hands of both the boy and his little red haired Princess of Heart that had won the boy's heart as well. Granted the girl had shown in more than one lifetime that she was indeed capable of wielding a Keyblade, but to the sting of this defeat was still great nonetheless.

The memory of that recent defeat now drove Xehanort's anger and desire for revenge, fueled his darkness, and furthered his determination to fulfill his twisted ambition no matter what happened. That was why he continued to press on, wandering the endless expanse of the Realm of Darkness that he was now trapped within, searching for the thing that would allow him to not only fulfill his desires but also achieve his revenge on the boy and all of those precious friends that were closest to him. Xehanort would not deny that he did not know what exactly he was looking for though, but at the same time, he did know that it was somewhere in this realm, and that he was getting close to it.

Soon enough, he came upon a sight that confirmed what he sensed, and when he saw this very sight, he could only cackle hoarsely as he knew that he had finally found what he had sensed and was looking for. "Yes, this is it," Xehanort croaked in a much older and hoarser voice than he had even when he battled Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. "This is the key to my ultimate victory, and my revenge. Enjoy your time in the light while it lasts, fools, for with this, I shall soon be restored to my full power, and then I will possess a power that rivals even the light of Kingdom Hearts, and it all begins here…the Palace of Nightmares!"

Xehanort then began limping towards the massive palace he mentioned, which much to the shock of anyone who had once been to the world, looked very scarily like a dark version of the palace from the world known as the Castle of Dreams, and as the weakened, old master continued to walk towards it, one would be able to see that his limp was already beginning to slowly fade away until he was able to walk a bit more like a normal person, indicating that his powers were indeed beginning to return just by approaching the palace before him. What Xehanort did not know, was that someone had approached this same palace from the opposite side of the end that he was on, and that said person was horrified of the sight of the castle alone.

The person could only stare in continued horror for a few more moments, until she finally lowered her eyes and pulled out a familiar, blue, star-shaped charm and held it close to her chest as she whispered, "Ven…Terra…please do what you can to keep the light safe from where you are. I'll find a way back someday, but for now, I'll do what I can from here for now."

With her silent plea to her friends who were now an entire realm away from her finished, Master Aqua pocketed her Wayfinder and then summoned the Keyblade of her late master to her hand before moving onward to discover just what terrible secrets lay within this dark reflection of the Castle of Dreams, knowing that she would soon have to venture onward from this place to discover what other things or even people were within this dark realm once she had finished.

* * *

Donald and Goofy were both as overjoyed as their long-time best friend and king was right at the moment, as Mickey held the Star Seeker Keyblade high with pride. Just a mere moment ago, Mickey had handed over both the Star Shard he had used to travel the worlds and said Keyblade to Yen Sid with his head lowered in sadness and shame, as he had taken the Star Shard without asking and had not even been able to do much in the way of helping to save the worlds from the same threat that Ventus, Aqua, and Terra were fighting against, even with Sora and Kairi's help, but just as Mickey was preparing to leave, he was shocked to find that Yen Sid decided to allow Mickey to keep the Keyblade, believing that the mouse king was now more worthy of it than ever. The small celebration that the three friends had started in Yen Sid's study was then cut short when someone suddenly knocked at the door, prompting Yen Sid to grant them entrance.

When they saw who was at the door, all three of the old friends and even the wizened sorcerer found themselves becoming shocked beyond belief at who it was that was now entering the study while a smile on his face. "Ven? Is that really you," Mickey asked in disbelief.

"Of course. Who else would it have been," Ven asked with a slight shrug. The next thing the blonde knew, he was immediately dog-piled in tight hug by Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, and laughing along with the three friends when they all collapsed onto the ground.

"How're you awake, Ven," Goofy then asked. "I thought that it would have been years before you got your heart back."

"I don't really know what happened," Ven admitted. "The last thing I remember is fighting against Vanitas in my own heart and then the next thing I know, I'm waking up inside a large, white room with the Land of Departure's symbol all over the walls, which was in a massive, weird looking castle. Funny thing is, I could've sworn that I saw Sora and Kairi for a moment as I was waking up, but I was still a bit out of it at the time so it's a little hazy. Forget about me though, where's Aqua and Terra? I thought they would've been here too."

Yen Sid had been smiling a great deal more than one normally saw him doing until Ven had asked about his friends, and he instantly frowned in sadness at having to tell Ven of what had happened to his two friends. Hearing that Terra had apparently been lost to the darkness after Xehanort had taken over his body was of course saddening for Ven, but when he heard that Aqua had thrown herself into the darkness to save Terra from falling there himself after she had managed to defeat him in a battle that Xehanort's influence had forced them into, he felt his legs suddenly start to give out, and he could have sworn that he would start sobbing at any minute. After taking a minute though, Ven's resolve quickly returned to his eyes as he then looked to Yen Sid and said, "Master Yen Sid, I would like for you to finish my training with the Keyblade."

This request had truly seemed to come from out of nowhere for the others in the room, as they had all fallen into silent surprise until Donald asked, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah Ven, I mean after everything that's happened, I'd have thought you'd want to go looking for a way to get Aqua and Terra back, or at least take a break from all this stuff," Goofy agreed with a nod.

"Believe me, I want to go and get my friends back, but right now, Mickey and I are the only Keyblade Wielders left, so we're the only ones who can protect the worlds," Ven reasoned. He then closed his eyes for a minute as he held a hand over his heart before he added, "I know that if either of them were in my position, Terra and Aqua would do the same thing. Whatever it takes, I plan to get stronger so that I can not only protect the worlds in their absence, but so I can also stand with them on equal ground as a true Keyblade Master."

Hearing his reasons and seeing the unwavering resolve that burned in his eyes like a great inferno, Yen Sid could not help giving a small smile as he walked around his desk to sit down in his chair once more as he considered Ven's request. It had only taken him the few minutes that had passed between the trip from where he was standing to his chair to make his decision, and as soon as he had seated himself in the chair he said, "I cannot teach you Ventus. My days as a Keyblade Master have long since passed, but that does not mean I cannot provide you with a master who can teach you. One who has proven himself to be a loyal friend to all those he meets, has unwavering courage and honor in the face of evil, and who possess a heart of such great light that he is almost as invulnerable to darkness as the seven Princesses of Heart. The only question is whether or not he will accept the responsibility in addition to the responsibilities he already holds both to his world and to the other worlds."

As Yen Sid finished speaking, his gaze had immediately fallen upon the master he spoke of, and everyone's gaze immediately turned to that same master, who's eyes had widened a little while his large ears had twitched in recognition of the fact that his master was referring to him. "Wait, you mean me," Mickey asked Yen Sid. "But…I'm not sure that…"

"Mickey, you have long since proven that you are indeed worthy of the Mark of Mastery, and aside from Eraqus, I can think of no better teacher for Ventus than you," Yen Sid told his former apprentice, showing just how strong his faith in the anthropomorphic mouse truly was.

Hearing how strong his master's faith in him was and then turning to see the pleading, yet encouraging look in Ven's eyes quickly allowed Mickey to make his choice, and he then turned to his blonde haired friend and said, "Alright then, Ven. I guess that this means from now on, you and I are gonna be student and master, but don't think I'll go easy on ya just cause we're friends."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Master Mickey," Ven replied with a smile as he shook hands with his friend and now master.

"Gosh, I don't think I'll be able to get used to being called that," Mickey admitted as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "So do me a favor and just call me Mickey, okay?" Ven nodded in reply, his beaming smile never once leaving his face much to Mickey's amusement before the mouse remembered something else. "Ven, there's something that Aqua wanted me to give you in case you woke up before she could get back to you," Mickey then said as he pulled said thing out and handed it to the blonde. "She said that if that did happen, then she would be counting on you to get these back to their rightful owners when you finally met them again one day in the near future."

Ven looked at the objects that Mickey had handed to him, and had to smile a little when he saw that they were the Wayfinders Aqua had made for Sora and Kairi. He then pocketed the two charms and pulled out his own to gaze upon it with great affection and love, silently promising both his brother and the woman he cared so much for that they would meet again someday, just as he knew that he would one day meet their friends from the future again as well, because Ventus knew, probably better than anyone else, that there was always a way for the light to shine through to a brighter tomorrow.

* * *

 **Kingdom Hearts**

 **Keyblades of Future Past**

 _ **Unleashed**_

* * *

 _ **AN: And that's a wrap. In case it was unclear, the outfit I had Sora wearing here at the end was his new look from Kingdom Hearts 3, and Riku's appearance was basically his Kingdom Hearts 3D look with his Kingdom Hearts 2 hairstyle.**_

 _ **Now I want you all to notice that I did not in fact forget about how Xehanort is reborn if Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas are destroyed...**_

 _ **Sora: Really?**_

 _ **AN: Okay, fine, so I MIGHT have forget it a little for a minute there, BUT I still managed to show that it did not go forgotten for long, and with this, not only is this story finished, but I've also left you all with a few things to tease your brains with as to what could have possibly happened in this new timeline that the story has spawned, and left it open for me to possibly, maybe do a spin-off series from this story. Admittedly, I was going to leave this story as the only one that was NOT part of a series, but as the idea for it developed more and more, I found myself thinking that I probably could have it lead into something that I do in the future one day, but at the same time leave it so that I could leave it on its own while pursuing other types of Kingdom Hearts stories.**_

 _ **That is not to say that I plan to start on a spin-off series from this story or any other Kingdom Hearts stories now that this one is finished right away though, as I do have other projects that are long overdue for some attention. Starting with the final installment of the Gundam SEED Prime series, which I realize that I haven't touched in at least a month, but rest assured, with this story now finished, I will be bringing my focus back to that story, along with a few of my other stories that I have not updated in sometime, while also starting work on one or two new ideas that I've had brewing up which I know some of you who have seen my profile page are probably dying to see. Hades, do I really have to say that I do not mean literally anymore, or do you just enjoy getting humilated?**_

 _ **Hades: DAMN IT ALL TO ME!**_

 ** _AN: [shakes head at Hades before continuing] Anyways, thanks for sticking with this little masterpiece until the end, and sorry if you don't see any other Kingdom Hearts stories from me as soon as you'd like, but I will get back to working on some Kingdom Hearts related stories in the future. It'll just be sometime after I finish work on some of the other ideas that I've already got running. So for now I shall simply finish up by saying..._**

 ** _AN, Mickey, and Sora: Please read and review, and see ya real soon!_**


End file.
